What Comes After
by OdoMango
Summary: What happens after the Battle of Starcourt? How does the Party cope with what happened? How do they move forward with their lives after so much of it was shattered? How will everyone continue to grow and develop with High School, love, puberty, loss, and temptation just around the corner? This is my version of it. Rated M for language, alcohol and substance use, and sexual themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome. If you are new to this fic, thanks for clicking it. I'm actually writing this passage here at the time of releasing chapter 18, but I'd like to get this fic some more attention if possible. Chances are if your clicking on it, your either new, or someone who clicked on it before, and lost interest and left it, but is now coming back.**

**In any situation, this is a fic that focuses on EVERYTHING that happens after season 3, up to season 4, as I imagine it. There is no cap. There is no limit. My long term goal is to stick with this fanfic until the release of season 4, at which point I'll make a fic for What Comes After Season 4. I plan to write about how the gang copes with the loss of their loved ones, puberty, drugs, alcohol, El moving, coming of age, starting high school, angst, cheating (?), stress, emotion, drama, the whole bit. I have a bunch of ideas about what to cover in this story, so if you are interested in any of that I strongly urge you to read ahead. I'm at 65000 words at the time of writing this; as you could have guessed, this number is going to increase by a lot. So if you are looking for a long fic that's going to be updated somewhat regularly for the forseeable future, I once again encourage you to sit back and give this story a try. **

**Anyway, thank you for listening to me ramble this long. I'll let you start reading :)**

The rain came down on the pavement of the parking lot like waves of cold bullets. The constant spray of the water was growing to be annoying, especially considering the fact that she was nervous beyond comprehension. Hopper and Joyce were still not back. She sat on the tailgate of the ambulance, leaning her head against Mike's shoulder, her hand under his on her lap.

The throbbing in her forehead had died down, thanks to the paramedics that had cleaned it and bandaged it. They had told her she would need stitches, but she didn't know what stitches were. She didn't bother asking Mike. As of now, she was enjoying the quietness between them. There had been enough noise for the both of them in the last couple of hours.

She felt the back of her hand being rubbed by Mike's thumb. "They'll be back," he told her, with a small smile. "Dustin told me that Russian base was really far down. They're on their way right now."

El nodded her head and forced a smile, but with every second that ticked by, her stomach became more and more heavy, and she almost felt like crying just from the stress of it. She needed Hopper.

She needed her Dad.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Will jump out from the back of the ambulance beside them. He started running, and El followed him with her eyes until he crashed into the arms of Joyce. A wave of relief washed over her. They were back.

"They're back," El said. "Let me find Hopper."

"Okay, I'll wait here," Mike replied, but not after letting go of her hand. El smiled, and heaved herself onto her legs. The throbbing in her head started to pick up, but she ignored it. She walked through the parking lot, gazing around to find him.

She didn't seem him.

Almost immediately, panic started to set in. Where was he? She started to pace around the area more frantically, trying to ignore all the pain that was coursing through her veins. She turned to face Will and Joyce, who were still tightly holding one another. Her eyes met with Joyce's, and Joyce looked back at her.

She saw her hiccup, and a tear rolled down her cheek, still holding eye contact with her.

That's when she realized it.

Dad was gone.

For the first moment, it was like her brain didn't fully comprehend what was going on. Like her mind had figured out what was happening, but her heart was lagging behind. Then she could feel it, an overwhelming sense of sadness and grief and anger and heartbreak and sorrow and sickness that she had never felt before. It was like a plague was eating at her insides, tearing through her heart and flesh and every cell in her body, all at the same time. All the background noise seemed to fade away, and all she could hear was her own screaming thoughts.

Then the tears came, like acid running down her face. And the acid burned her, it burned her skin and everything underneath her skin, and the burning came across her body until she started to feel her legs weaken, and she was falling. She collapsed on her knees in front of her, and screamed. Screamed louder than she had ever screamed before.

Before she knew it, Mike was in front of her, and she lunged forward and grabbed him like he was the only thing in the universe. He didn't talk, he didn't even make a sound, he just held her. Held her tight. And El squeezed him back, to the point that she thought she would suffocate him. And she buried her face into the crook of his neck and cried, harder and more profusely than she thought was even humanly possible. Mike never let go.

She heard footsteps behind her, and all around her. She didn't bother to look up. She knew she was being watched, and she knew that the people who were there were probably thinking she was pathetic and weak, and that just made her cry harder, and she gripped Mike even more. One of her hands found its way to the back of his head, and she dug her fingertips into his bushy hair. In the past, the sensation of it had comforted her, but this time it didn't.

Around her body she felt a blanket of arms wrap around her, shielding her from the cold hard rain that was pelting down on her.

Mike looked up, and saw everyone around them. Lucas, Dustin and Will. Max. Murray and Joyce. Jonathan and Nancy. Even Steve and Robin. The entire group enveloped them, and it was a long time before they any of them let go. It had been at least five minutes, and El was still sobbing uncontrollably into Mike's neck. He looked up when Steve and Robin got up. Steve placed a hand on El's shoulder, let it rest there for a moment, and then walked away with Robin. Murray then got up, along with Joyce. They exchanged a hug which they shared for a long time. Joyce looked down at the kids, who were the only ones still locked in the embrace.

Joyce took a long, shaky breath and spoke.

"Guys, we gotta go." No one replied to her. "We can all go back to my house, but we need to get out of the rain and let the firemen do their jobs. We're going to get sick if we stay out here."

Without saying anything, Dustin, Lucas, Will and Max stood up. Mike and El remained on the wet pavement. Mike looked up, and saw Joyce. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked weak and defeated. Her eyes met Mike's, as if pleading. Mike understood.

He patted the back of El's head once. "C'mon, El. We should go. We're gonna go back to the Will's house." El didn't reply.

"I'm gonna be with you the whole time," he added. That seemed to do the trick. With her arms still wrapped around Mike, and her face still resting on his shoulder, the two simultaneously stood up, and began walking along with the rest of the party toward Joyce's car. With Joyce leading the group, they advanced across the puddly pavement. El and Mike trailed behind. Mike wrapped his right arm around El's shoulders, and El kept her head down, still sniffling. Mike knew even though she had stopped fully crying, he was going to have to be there for her when they got back to Will's house.

They started to get in the car, but they realized that not all of them would fit. Then they heard a voice behind them. "Mom, I can take some of them." Mike turned and saw Jonathan standing behind him, beside Nancy. The party exchanged glances, silently deciding who was going to go in which car. Mike knew that there was no way in hell that he would be sitting anywhere other than with El. And Mike knew that as much as Max and El were good friends, Max's brother had just been murdered in the most terrible way possible, and she would want to be with Lucas. So that left Will going with his Mom, along with El and Mike; and Dustin, Lucas and Max with Jonathan.

"Me and El will go with the Joyce," he said. "You guys can go with Jonathan. Will will probably want to go with us, too." Everyone else nodded, and moved toward their respective vehicles.

Will hopped into the passenger seat, and Mike and El took the backseat. El immediately slid over in the seat so as to be as close as possible to Mike. Mike wrapped his arm around her body, and leaned his against hers, which was resting on his shoulder. Mike glanced over at his girlfriend...no, _ex _girlfriend, and saw more fresh tears running down her face. They were silent tears.

Perhaps against his better judgement, because, technically speaking, they were still broken up, he tilted his head downward and sideways and kissed the top of her head.

El would have been lying if she said Mike kissing her head hadn't surprised her. They were still "broken up," even though she still didn't quite understand what that meant. But since that day, they had shared many intimate and intense moments together, and if she was honest, she didn't feel like there was any difference between them. Being broken up only made things seem slightly awkward, which she didn't like.

But she also would have been lying if she had said that Mike giving her that sweet yet simple gesture didn't make her feel better, even if it was just a little bit. It was like the warmth from the action had spread through her body, like a small spark that had the potential to light a fire in her soul. But the spark wasn't strong enough for her, not right now. So she just leaned into him even further and closed her eyes, letting the tears continue to drip down.

Mike looked ahead toward the road in front of them. He knew they were close to the Byers'. He exhaled deeply, and reached over with his other hand and started to stroke El's messy strands of hair. He didn't know why, he just knew that it something he did whenever she was upset. He didn't know if it would be any help now, but he knew that he was going to do everything in his power to make sure El would get through this.

Because he loved her, loved her with all his heart. And he hadn't worked up the balls to tell her in the convenience store, and he cursed himself for it, because now he knew that there wouldn't be a good time to tell her in a long time. How could he tell her something like that when she had just lost her fucking dad? It just seemed like something that… you shouldn't say unless the other person was ready to hear it. And he didn't think El was going to be ready to hear it for a long time.

And in spite of himself, he felt a lump start to form in the back of his throat. And even though he was telling himself it was because of El, part of the reason was Hopper. They never really got along; quite the opposite actually. They spent the better part of the last six months at each other's throats, but Mike respected him, in a weird, unshowing way. Even though Hopper had made it nearly impossible for them to share any intimate moments when he was around, and was always yelling at the to keep the door open, or giving Mike dirty looks, he could not deny the fact that he had protected El for a year and a half, and he knew that he genuinely cared about her. He saw in the way that he ruffled her hair, or gave her a hug before going to work, or kissing the top of her head when getting home in the evening. He had seen them sitting in the mall talking, just before Hopper had headed out.

How he had brushed the hair out of her face, and talked to her in such a sweet and caring way, and then after brought her in for a big bear hug. And despite the differences between them, he had even told him to be careful. It was probably the nicest thing he had ever said to him. And those were his last words to him. He was never going to hear that voice again. He felt the urge to cry come again, and he forced it back. He had to be strong for El right now, and he couldn't show the fact that he was hurting. He repeated to himself, he had to be strong.

His thoughts were interrupted when the car slowed down. He looked up and saw that they had arrived at the Byers'. Joyce and Will opened their doors and stepped out. Joyce gave a key to Will, and he went to the door to unlock it. Joyce opened the back door where El was sitting and spoke.

"Alright guys, let's go in," she said.

Without speaking, El let go of Mike's hand and slid out of the backseat. Mike followed close behind. As soon as El stood up and put all of her weight on her legs, they buckled and she started to fall forward, but out of nowhere, Mike reached his hands around her torso and caught her.

"It's okay, I got you," he whispered. And before she knew it, and arm was swept underneath her thighs and she was being carried. She didn't have the energy nor the desire to speak. She just wrapped her forearms around his neck and looked at Mike in the eyes in silent thanks. Mike looked back at her and solemnly nodded his head, and El could have sworn that she saw teardrop escape his right eye.

Behind them, Jonathan's car stopped and the rest of the group got out and made their way up the driveway to the front door. When they had all gotten inside, no one talked. They all sat in the living room. Mike was sitting in the corner of one couch, with El lying down curled up beside him with her head on his lap. At the opposite end of the couch, Dustin sat, staring off into space. On the other couch sat Lucas, who had his arm around Max's shoulders. Her eyes were red and puffy. Lucas gently rubbed her arm. Will sat beside them.

At the table in the dining room sat Joyce, Jonathan and Nancy. They were sipping on drinks, probably coffee or something that would give them a much-needed jolt. It was late, but they would have to be tending to the young children for the majority of the night in all likelihood.

El closed her eyes, and drew a shaky breath in. Her crying had subsided, but not because she was feeling better. It was just that she felt like she had completely run out of tears; all the fluid in her body had been completely drained. She was incredibly thirsty and hungry, but above all else she was exhausted. She wanted to sleep more than anything. But every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the Mind Flayer looming over her, or Billy choking getting impaled by that fleshy tentacle, or Hopper's face as he hugged her good-bye. It was all too much. She sniffed, and Mike massaged her shoulder with one hand in response.

The silence was abruptly broken when Joyce entered the living room

"Does anyone want anything to drink? Or eat?" she asked. The party exchanged glances, knowing that all of them were feeling starved.

"Yes, please," Will replied to his Mom, who smiled and left to the kitchen. Nancy and Jonathan got up to help her. Will was about to as well, but Joyce shook her head at him and said it was okay. Will reluctantly went back to his seat next to Mike and El.

El felt the discomfort among her friends, the awkwardness and sadness that was emanating around the room. She knew they were all feeling a million different emotions, especially her and Max, who had both just lost someone important to them. And even though they probably all wanted to talk about what had happened, everyone was too afraid to break the silence. And no one knew what to say, and neither did she. She just wanted to wake up in her bed at the cabin and walk into the kitchen and see Hopper, as if this was all just a bad dream.

Joyce interrupted her thoughts when she came into the room along with Nancy and Jonathan. They were carrying toast and several boxes of different kinds of cereal, along with bowls and small plates. They made a second trip and brought in some glasses of water and a jug of milk.

"There's more milk in the fridge," she said as she put down a jug of on the coffee table in front of them. "Sorry for the lack of choice, I haven't gone grocery shopping since last week."

"It's okay, Mom," Will responded, with a small smile.

Joyce pulled up a chair from the dining table and sat on it with the rest of the kids. She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. El knew that her Dad and Joyce we close, and she realized that Joyce was probably feeling some of what she was feeling as well. It made her feel a little bit better that she wasn't the only one who was going through it.

They ate their food in silence. The only sounds that could be heard were the slurping of drinks and crunching of cereal. When they were done, which didn't take long, Joyce spoke.

"Jonathan and Nancy have gone to bed," Joyce stated. "We should probably try to get some rest as well." The idea was met with murmurs of agreement among the teens. "It's up to you guys where you sleep. We have these couches, Will's bed, my bed, and I can grab an air mattress from the storage room for you guys to crash on."

"Mom, I can sleep with you," Will said. "Two people can take my bed."

"I'll crash on this couch," Dustin announced, tapping the cushion next to him, beside Lucas and Max. Max leaned sideways and said something to Lucas that El didn't quite catch. Lucas nodded, and turned to Joyce.

"It is okay if me and Max take an air mattress in the living room?" he asked. Even though Joyce was slightly skeptical about the boys and girls mixing, she knew that under the circumstances, anything sexual was far from their minds. Plus, the boys needed to be there to comfort their girlfriends. So she gave them the benefit of the doubt and nodded.

"So can El and I take Will's bed?" asked Mike.

"Yes."

At this, El smiled a little bit. Despite what she was feeling, spending the night with her boyfriend- or ex boyfriend- sounded nice. Maybe it would help with the possible nightmares that might come. But just snuggling with him under warm covers after everything that had happened sounded almost heavenly.

"We only have a couple extra pairs of clothes for you guys to sleep in, though. And the clothes you're wearing now look disgusting."

Mike produced a dry laugh at this. The gash on his face had been cleaned up, but before that it had bled all over his clothes. On top of that, an ungodly amount of sweat had drenched his clothes left him with more to be desired.

"It's okay, Mom. I have some clean boxer shorts the guys can throw on."

Joyce mentally sighed, knowing that now the boys were going to be sleeping with their girlfriends in nothing but underwear. But she decided not to press the issue.

"Okay, I probably have some extra pajamas in my bedroom for Max and El, just...give me a second to find some," she said, walking out of the room. Will gave Dustin a blanket and pillow to sleep with, and some more sleeping gear to Max and Lucas. They all thanked him.

After getting the air mattress pumped up, everyone got settled and made their way to their respective sleeping areas. Lucas and Max pulled their mattress a little bit farther away from Dustin than where Joyce had put it, and fluffed up the sheets and got tucked in.

Mike walked into Will's bedroom, and smiled in spite of himself. He remembered spending a lot of time here with Will six months ago, when he was a host to the Mind Flayer. All the posters and photographs gave him a wave of nostalgia. Maybe Will was right about them growing up. For a moment, he remembered their life of playing games in his basement, just the four guys, not a care in the world. He missed that.

El came into the bedroom, her eyes no longer red. She had washed her face, and replaced the bandage that was on her forehead. She was changed into short shorts and baggy, light blue t-shirt that hung at practically her thighs.

She looked beautiful.

"You okay?" Mike asked.

She shrugged, and remained silent. "C'mon," he said, sitting up and gesturing with a nod for her to come to the bed.

"Which side do you-" and suddenly El was hugging him, her arms tightly wrapped around his torso, her head resting on his chest. Mike hugged her back, and leaned his cheek to rest on the top of her head. They stayed in that tight embrace for a while, until El finally let go. She crawled into the bed, and Mike walked around to the other side. He slipped off shirt, and, already in the shorts Will had given to him, crawled into bed with her.

They lay together, about two inches apart, parallel to one another. Mike didn't close his eyes. He just stared at the ceiling, thinking about what he should say, or if he should even say anything. Luckily, El decided for him when she spoke for the first time in hours.

"Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you…" she trailed off. She turned in the bed to look at him, and he turned back to meet her eyes.

"What is it?" Mike asked her.

She looked away for a moment, and then back at him. She grabbed his forearm and pulled it toward herself, and wrapped it around her body. She shifted closer to him, her back still facing him, and before Mike knew it they were spooning. His arm tucked behind her neck, curled up around her head, his hand in her hair. His other arm found its way around her stomach, his fingers lightly dancing on her bare skin where her shirt had folded upward slightly.

"Just...hold me."

And he did.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been over an hour, and Max still was not sleeping. Even though she was utterly exhausted, she couldn't manage to calm down her mind. All she could think about was Billy. Every time she tried to close her eyes, all she could see was her brother, lying in a pool of his own crimson blood, whispering those words to her. _I'm sorry. _She blinked salty tears out of her eyes, and sniffed.

"Max?" It was Lucas. He was awake too.

"Yeah?" she replied. Lucas was quiet for a moment.

"I, uhh.." he meandered. "I just...I was gonna ask if you were okay, but, I know you're not."

Max didn't say anything, but Lucas continued talking anyway. "I'm here for you, and... and I want to help. I don't know what you're exactly what you're feeling, because I've never been there...but I know it's not good, and, just...tell me if you need anything, anything at all. I'm here."

As unceremonious as his words were, Max was touched. All she had done for the last forty-eight hours was bash Lucas and Mike, and despite all of that, Lucas was still here, comforting her as if nothing had even happened between them.

"I don't know why I'm upset," she started. "He was such a terrible person the whole time he's been in my life. But after El went into the void, and reminded me of that memory of his, it made me realize that maybe the whole time he was just...hurting. He was just in pain, the whole time."

"Obviously, deep down he was a good person," Lucas responded. "Look at what he did for El. He threw himself right in front of the Mindflayer, just to protect her."

"I know, I know, and then…" she started to break down again. "God, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me."

Lucas grabbed her hand with both of his and shifted on his side to look at her.

"Hey," he soothed. "Nothing is wrong with you. It's gonna be okay, it's all over now." He leaned into her and hugged her, and Max reciprocated. Lucas gently stroked the hair on the back of her head, slowly easing her into a state of calmness. When they broke apart, Lucas laid back down on his back. Max rested her head on Lucas's chest, her wrapped her arms around his abdomen. Lucas reached out with his fingers and tenderly caressed Max's cheek.

Max could not even wrap her head around how Lucas was being so nice about Billy and patient with her. Considering the fact that Billy hated him, and was racist, and had nearly killed him at the Byers' six months ago.

"He almost killed you last year," Max said. "Why are you being so…"

"Because," he interrupted. "It's not his fault. You've told me before about your stepdad. If he's lived with him his whole life, then there's no question about why he is the way he is. You're right. He was just hurting."

Max looked up at Lucas, and brought her lips to his mouth. She let them stay there for a few seconds, moving gently across his. She pulled away.

"Thanks, Stalker."

Lucas gave her a small smile. "You're welcome, Madmax."

* * *

El woke up, and immediately felt Mike's body wrapped around hers. The sensation made her feel safe and warm inside, and she smiled.

But then the events of last night came over her like a wave of ice cold water, and the smile slid off her face instantly. She wasn't in her cabin, and Hopper wasn't in the kitchen. She wasn't going to leave the room and have Eggos with her dad. She wasn't going to spend the whole day in her cozy bedroom making out with Mike to the mixtape he had made her. She wasn't going to do any of that. Because her home was destroyed, and her Dad was gone.

She felt a lump rise in her throat and she didn't even try to hide it. Her body shook, and the tears came unwillingly from her eyes. She grabbed Mike's hand and squeezed it, but a little bit harder than she had meant, because then he woke up. His eyes opened slowly, and saw El. He immediately came to her aid and brushed the hair out her face.

"Shhh, it's okay," he comforted her. "It's okay."

"I'm...sorry," she hiccuped.

"Shh, no. Why are you sorry? Don't be sorry for anything."

"I woke you up," she sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"No, it's okay, it's late anyways. Don't worry."

Silence descended upon them, the only noise being El's quiet sobs.

"I miss him," she said, between tears.

"I know," Mike replied sadly. "Me too."

El sat up, and shifted into a cross legged position. Mike did the same, so that they were sitting across from one another. El's gaze met Mike's, and wiped her eyes again. "Why?" she asked.

"What?" Mike replied, an incredulous look on his face.

"Why do you miss him?" El repeated.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You guys hated one another. Hopper was always yelling at you, and you always told me that he didn't want us to be happy. You didn't like him, I know it."

Mike felt his heart sink. Everything that El said was true. And he couldn't take any of it back. He couldn't even count how many times he had insulted Hopper behind his back, or gave him attitude. And he couldn't change that. But he wasn't lying when he said that now he was gone, he felt a hole in his heart that would never be filled; a hole that could only be filled by Hopper.

"I know but...now that he's gone, I guess that I've realized something," he said, looking down at his feet.

"What?"

Mike fiddled at his watch, knowing that he had a lot of things to say. But he wasn't quite sure how to say all of it. He exhaled and just decided to start speaking. "I know that I didn't really give him much respect, but now that he's not around anymore, I kind of...regret it. I know that he loved you, and I know that he was like...he was a father to you. And he protected and cared for you, and put a roof over your head for a year and a half, which is much more than what I gave you."

Mike started to tear up, and silently cursed himself. He was supposed to be comforting El, and he couldn't do that if he was a crying mess. But he still had more to say, so he continued anyway.

"Maybe if I had just been nicer to him, he would have been nicer to me. I was always rolling my eyes, or talking back to him, and I was just...such an asshole. And I don't even know why. I just wanted to spend time with you, alone, and not have him snooping on us. But he was just concerned for you the whole time, and I guess he knows about horny teenagers and their thoughts. And now that I'm thinking about it…"

El looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

"I just want to talk to him, and hear is voice again. I want to tell him I'm sorry."

At this, Mike finally felt his emotions overcome him. He felt himself start to cry. "Fuck, El, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be acting like this, you're the one who-"

"Mike," El interrupted him.

"Yeah?"

"It's okay. Hopper felt the same way about you," she said, smiling bittersweetly.

"He did?"

"Yes," she told him, taking his hand. "I remember a conversation we had, one day."

Mike readjusted himself, and sat closer to El. "What was it about?"

"It was the start of June," she sighed. "You had just left the cabin, and it was because he had yelled at us for having the door closed."

"I remember. He opened the door and saw me on top of you."

"Yes," she nodded. "He took us to the living room, and he said, 'Just keep the door open!' and you said, 'Why? What are we gonna do?' and he just looked at you. Then you walked out of the house."

Mike bit on his lip, vividly recalling that argument. And he was kicking himself for being such a fucking dick to Hopper. "Yeah," he said, rubbing his face. "Those are the kinds of things I regret."

"Well," El continued. "After you left, I asked him why he didn't want the door to be closed. And he looked at me...strange. And said that sometimes, when two people care about each other a lot, they do certain things together."

Mike blushed, fully aware of what Hopper had been talking about. "And I asked him what he was talking about, but he told me he'd tell me later. But then I realized what he had said. He said 'When two people care about each other, sometimes they do things together.' So I asked him."

"Asked him what?"

"If he thought that you cared about me."

"And what did he say?"

"He said, 'Of course he cares about you. I know he does. And I care about him.'"

Mike's eyes widened, and felt himself smile a little bit at this.

"He said that he just wished that you were nicer to him. And that he wanted to be nicer to you, but it was hard for him because he didn't really know how."

"Oh," Mike said. A million thoughts were rushing through his brain all at once. He felt happy that even though Hopper seemed to hate him, he actually did care about him, and wanted to be nice but just didn't know how.

But he also was pissed at himself, pissed for being such a stupid fucking teenager for six months when he could have just been more respectful to Hopper.

"Thanks for telling me that, El," Mike said almost fully in tears. El nodded and Mike leaned in to grab her with his arms. El grabbed him back, and the two fell on their sides on the bed, still clinging to one another. And they cried.

"I wish he was here," Mike said. "Even if he just came back to yell at me."

"Me too," El replied, letting out a small chuckle through her crying.

Mike was feeling a lot of things in that moment, but he felt one above all of them. He wanted to tell El that he loved her. It was something that he felt like he had to say, he just wanted her to know so badly. But it wasn't a good time to drop the L word, not right now. So he settled for something a little less.

"Thanks, El," Mike breathed.

"For what?' she asked.

"For just...being here."

El smiled. "Thank you, too."

El broke away from the hold, and looked Mike in his eyes. "What's wrong?" Mike asked. El's eyes flicked down to his lips, and felt an urge come over her. She didn't fight it.

She brought herself forward quickly and latched her mouth onto Mike's bottom lip. She held herself there for a moment, and went to pull away because she sensed discomfort from Mike. But as she moved backward, he came forward and leaned into her. She lay on the bed, guiding him to her as she did so. He lay into her, putting nearly all his weight onto her body.

Their lips continued to dance together, slow and gentle. El moved her hand to the back of Mike's neck, the ends of his hair brushing her fingertips. She ran her hands through it, and as she did so, everything that had happened yesterday seemed to fade away.

Fueled by her emotions and the euphoria of the kiss, she grew hungrier, and she opened her mouth a little more and let her tongue run across Mike's mouth. He granted her access, and opened his as well, and their tongues met in the middle. The feeling made her crazy.

She moaned into the kiss, grabbing his head with both of her hands and pulling him even closer to her. Mike ran his hand along her body, starting at her knees and up her thigh, around her hip and toward her armpit, and ended at her shoulder.

"Hey, guys, my Mom made…" Mike sprang off of El and turned to the doorway, where he saw Will standing. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to, um...interrupt you."

"It's okay," Mike said, slightly disappointed that Will had broken their moment. "What's going on?"

"My Mom has breakfast."

"Okay, we'll come out in a second," Mike said.

He turned back to El, who was still looking at him. "Mike?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are we still…" she began, looking at her feet. "Are we still broken up?" Mike drew a sharp breath in. If he was honest, he had completely forgotten about that in the last twenty-four hours. "I, um...I don't know."

"I don't want to be anymore," she said rather loudly, and with confidence. Mike was taken aback by her abruptness. "No?" he echoed.

"No," she said again. "I want you to be my boyfriend again."

Mike smiled. "I want that too."

He then grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it. "I want you to be my girlfriend again."

El grinned, and kissed him. This one was short and sweet, but made him feel butterflies in his stomach all the same. She pulled away, and received a kiss on her forehead.

"Let's go get some breakfast."

It was noon when they walked into the dining room. They were met by the rest of the party, along with Jonathan and Nancy on the couch in the living room. Joyce saw them and smiled.

"Hey, guys," she greeted. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah, we were good," Mike replied.

"I went and got some groceries, we have lots of stuff for breakfast. Take what you want."

"Thank you, Mrs Byers," Mike said politely. Him and El walked toward the table where Will, Lucas, Dustin and Max were sitting. They had all helped themselves to toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

"Is there any Eggos?" El asked.

"Yes, we have some in the freezer, sweetie. I'll toast them for you."

"Thank you," El said.

Her and Mike pulled up chairs and sat with the rest of the party, but not after helping themselves to some eggs and pouring some milk. Dustin was the first to speak. "How are you guys feeling? Was the bed nice?" he asked with a hint of humour. Mike glared at him.

"Yeah, it was nice," Mike said.

"What about the rest of you guys?" he inquired.

"The air mattress was surprisingly comfy. We had a good night," Lucas said, to which Max agreed. "Me too," Will pitched in. Dustin gave a nod in response, taking a massive bite of his toast as he did so.

When the group had finally finished eating, Joyce had already left the house. She told the group that she was going to run some errands, probably something to do with Hopper, planning his funeral or something. Jonathan and Nancy had also left the house; they had gone to work to see if they were able to get their jobs back.

Max and Lucas got up and moved to the living room, and sat on the couch together. The rest of the party moved toward the room to join them. They sat in silence for a few moments before Mike spoke.

"So what are we gonna do?" he asked. The rest of the room sighed.

"I don't know," Will said, rubbing his eyes. "This all feels like...a dream that I haven't woken up from yet."

"I wish it was," El whispered.

"Me too," Max said.

"Our parents are probably worried shitless," Dustin pointed out.

"Oh, fuck!" Mike and Lucas said at the same time, eyes widening. "Shit!"

"Will, can we use your phone?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, it's in the kitchen."

The three boys moved toward the kitchen, and Dustin called first.

"Hi Mom… yes, I- no, it's fine, I'm alright. I was just at, uh, Mike's. His phone was down, I'm...yes, I'm sorry, I wanted to call you but...no, we weren't at the mall when the fire happened," he said, pursing his lips tightly. "Okay, yes, I know. I'll be home soon. Okay. Bye...yes. Bye."

He hung up the phone, and walked over to the couch and collapsed. "Jesus Christ," he huffed. "I'm gonna be grounded for so long."

"Okay, give me the phone," Lucas muttered, preparing himself for the scolding that would ensue. "Hi mom," he said into the receiver. "Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't call, I spent the last couple nights at Mike's house, their phone was dead so I couldn't call…"

He continued talking for a few more moments. When he hung up, he sighed. "Okay, she was a lot nicer about it than I thought she was gonna be."

"Wish I could say the same," Dustin grunted, running his hands through his uncombed mop of curls.

"Alright, let me call," Mike said.

After spending a few moments on the phone with his Mom, telling her that he had spent the night at Will's, he got off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. His Mom told him to come home immediately, and that they would take more later.

"I gotta get home," Mike announced.

"Yeah, us too," the boys agreed.

"Max, don't you wanna call you Mom?" Lucas asked.

"No, it's fine," she replied. "I'd rather just talk to them when I get home."

The party gathered up their things, and headed to the front door. "Are you guys gonna be okay?" Will asked, wondering if it would be good for his friends to leave.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Mike said. "El will come home with me, we'll just hang out in my basement."

"I'm under house arrest anyway," Dustin said. "I'm gonna head straight back. I'm in deep shit I think." The remark was met by pitiful laughs among the teens.

"Max, do you want to come home with me? My parents won't mind."

Max had been at Lucas's house many times; his parents were more accepting of the fact that she was a different race then them. If she was to bring Lucas over to her house, she knew her Mom would be okay with it. But her step dad wouldn't, and she didn't want to make her Mom lie to him. That wouldn't be fair to her. So, knowing that she would be greeted with open arms in Lucas's house, she smiled.

"That would be great," she replied thankfully.

"Alright, then, let's go," Duston said, clapping his hands together. Dustin reached toward Will and gave him a hearty hug. "Thanks for everything, Will. And thank your Mom for us too. She's amazing."

"I will," Will replied with a grin.

Lucas and Max said their good-byes to everyone and headed out, leaving El, Mike and Will standing in front of the open door.

"El, I'll be out in a minute, just, could you wait outside?" Mike asked. El nodded. She walked out and closed the door on her way.

"What's going on?" Will asked.

Mike inhaled deeply, then blew it all out. "I, uh, just wanted to say that…" he started. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"What do you mean?" he asked him, as a questioning look swept across his face.

"I've been a real asshole to you. With the D and D game, and about El, and I just...I feel terrible. You're a great friend, and I don't want that to stop. And, the campaign you wrote was really cool, but I was just thinking about El, and how she broke up with me, and-"

"Mike," Will interrupted him. "It's okay. I was being unfair too."

"No, I was the one who was being a dick. I completely shut all of you guys out, and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, but the girl you love disappeared for almost a year. You deserved to make up that lost time with her. There's more to life than games. I've realized that now." This comment was met with a flustered Mike.

"I don't...I don't love her, Will, I…"

"Mike," he said, with a knowing look in his eyes. "Yes, you do. I've seen it. We all have."

Mike was shocked to hear this. He didn't realize that his feelings were so apparent.

"Look," Will continued. "Maybe we both screwed up a little bit. But I forgive you. You deserve to be happy, but maybe just don't completely forget about us," he said with a slight, teasing smile.

"It's okay, I forgive you. And I'm sorry too. I promise I'll try to spend some more time with you guys."

"Good," Will said.

"Maybe...we can play D and D sometime soon?" Mike suggested.

"Yeah," Will replied. "I'd like that."

Mike pulled will into a hug, which he reciprocated. Will patted Mike on the back affectionately. When they separated, Mike stretched out his hand. "Shake?" he asked.

"Shake."


	3. Chapter 3

Jonathan and Nancy walked out of the Hawkin's Post Office, bummed out and defeated. After trying to negotiate with the new boss that was there-in place of Tom- they had walked out with no success in getting their jobs back. They were quite surprised that they even had anyone there to fill the spot so quickly but they supposed they had an assistant on hand. Alas, Bruce's and Tom's jokes about them had washed through the whole office, and no one wanted them to be there. So, after getting laughed at and ridiculed, they had walked out.

They stepped into the car, and Nancy cursed. "Sons of bitches," she huffed loudly.

"Hey," Jonathan said quietly. "Did you really expect them to let us back on?"

"Maybe...I don't know. With Tom gone, I guess that I thought that maybe there was a chance."

They knew that Tom had been flayed, and had been killed in the hospital along with Bruce. And even if they had somehow survived that, they knew that there was no way they could have survived after the gate was closed and the Mind Flayer was killed. Nancy realized at that point there were probably hundreds of people who had been flayed, and they had all died. And on top of that, for each person that had died, dozens of their family members and friends would be affected by it. She would be seeing shit all over the paper and news any day now, about the fire in the mall, and all the people that had been killed, including the town's chief of police.

She must have zoned out for too long, because then she heard Jonathan's voice enter her ears. "Hey," he said. "Are you okay? Is there anything else bothering you, or is it just this thing?"

"Sorry, I just, was, um...nothing, it was nothing, I was just thinking."

Jonathan started the car and got onto the road. "About what?" he asked. There was a lapse in their conversation while Nancy collected he thoughts. "Nance?" Jonathan pressed.

"All the people that died, all the flayed. They're all gone. All of them. There must have been hundreds of people in that thing, and they're all gone."

Jonathan sighed and visibly gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too."

"How on Earth are they gonna cover something like that up?" Nancy wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but it's not our responsibility," Jonathan replied with a chuckle. "I guess we'll see what they come up with. That scientist guy my Mom took Will to last year will probably think of something."

"Who?"

"I don't know, his name is Dr Owen or something. Pretty sure he's still around."

"Ah."

Jonathan turned at the intersection and continued down the road. "Whatever it is, we'll be seeing a lot of in the news pretty soon," he pointed out. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see." Jonathan felt a pang of hunger in his gut. "You want to grab a bite to eat?" he asked.

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

* * *

Joyce walked into Will's room and found him lying bed, looking at the ceiling. One of the mixtapes Jonathan had made him was bouncing off the walls from the speakers of the radio on his desk.

"Hey," she said. "How you doing?"

Will glanced her eyes over to his Mom, and sat up in his bed. "Back from your errands?"

Joyce sat down beside him and rubbed his leg. "Yeah," she said. "I just went to...I went to the police station. Wanted to see what was going on about Hopper, if they had maybe found a body, or anything."

"Did they?"

"No," she sighed, sadness flashing across her face. "But I had a feeling they wouldn't, I just wanted to make sure, in case I missed something." Joyce got up to leave the room, but Will stopped her.

"Mom?" he asked suddenly.

Joyce turned around to face her young son. "What...what happened last night with you guys? You never told me."

Joyce's face went blank, and her eyes lost focus. She looked at the floor. Will immediately felt bad. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. Never mind."

"No, it's okay, sweetie, you should know," his Mom sighed, returning to the foot of Will's bed to talk to him. "We were in the...portal room, I guess you could call it. The room with the portal. This machine had this blue light beam coming out of it," she described, using a hand gesture to indicate a long shape. "And the gate, it was...right there. This machine was drilling, or something, a hole into the wall, and there was the gate. Right there. We had both the keys, so we put them in, and were about to turn them, but then one of the Russians came in."

Will stared at her, listening intently. He wanted to know exactly what had happened to Hopper last night. During the year prior, he was almost like a father to him in some regards. He was always the one who came with Joyce to the lab for his special check-ups. It had really hurt him when he found out that Hopper had been killed. But he couldn't imagine what El was going through right now.

"The Russian, he had been chasing us for a while. He almost killed us in that old farmhouse," she recalled, to which Will's eyes widened.

"Mom," he said worriedly. "How did you get wrapped up in all of this? Why were you with Hopper?" Joyce looked at him, at a loss for words.

"Just...never mind that. We were about to turn the keys, and he came behind us and threw us both off. He was really big, and really strong. He nearly killed Hopper three times.

"I tried to grab the gun, but he knocked me out. Him and Hopper were fighting, and they somehow ended up on the deck next to the machine, the machine that was drilling the gate. That was when I woke up. I saw them, fighting. Hopper got knocked down by him, and his head was right by the machine. I thought he was going to get decapitated," Joyce's voice cracked briefly, and her eyes started to glisten.

"Hopper was able to pull him down, and the Russian hit his head on the machine. I don't know how he didn't die right there. Hopper got up, and threw him into the machine. His body was torn to bits, and the machine, it...it malfunctioned when he threw him into the engine. Some kind of disk, of energy came out of it. It was like looked like electricity, or...I don't even know. It made some barrier, and blocked his way back.

"I was able to grab both the keys with the help of my keychain, and I knew I was able to turn them both. And I was going to, but...Hopper was still there, trapped." Joyce's pursed her lips and rubbed her eyes. "And he looked at me, from where he was standing. And he just nodded at me, and smiled. Just smiled.

"I knew what he wanted me to do. I knew what I had to do. So I looked down, and I...I turned the keys."

Will continued to sit motionless on his bed, speechless at what he had just heard. He felt his emotions start to rise up in him, but he willed them to stay hidden for just a few moments longer, enough to wrap up the conversation with his Mom. "So," he murmured. "Then what happened?"

"There was a really bright coming from the machine. So bright I couldn't even look it at it when it was happening. It must have exploded, because when it finally stopped the thing had been destroyed. And I went to look, to see if maybe he was there, but...there wasn't even a body."

"Wait," Will said suddenly, sitting up from his lying down position. "There was no body?"

"No," she said. "Which was weird, because when we passed by the exit, we saw some...well," she chuckled in spite of herself through her teary eyes. "I can't even call them bodies. They were just...lumps of flesh and bones. They had been turned to mush, just like Alexei said."

Ignoring that last bit about Alexei, because he didn't know who he was and he didn't want to take the conversation off on another tangent, he had a thought. "But," Will thought aloud. "If there wasn't a body, then...then maybe he survived somehow? Maybe you just didn't see him."

Joyce considered what her son had said for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe he had gotten out. Maybe there was some kind of exit she didn't see. Could he have jumped through the gate?

"I don't know, sweetie," Joyce said sadly. "Maybe, but...I don't want to hold onto this. The more I think about it, the more it'll just destroy me inside. If he lived, then I hope he's okay...but I'm not gonna get my hopes up."

Will reached in to hug his Mom. She was crying now, and Will felt some tears dripping down his face as well. He had never seen his Mom in this much emotional distress about something that wasn't related to him. It made him feel terrible. He wished he could fix it all for his Mom, but he knew he couldn't do that.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," he consoled. "But he didn't die in vain. He died saving all of us. And that's how we'll remember him."

His Mom pulled away, and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, sweetie. That means a lot to me."

* * *

Mike and El arrived at Mike's house after walking for about half an hour. El's leg was still in a lot of pain, and both of them were tired in general. Mike's face was still cut from the night before, and he knew he would have to come up with a solid excuse to tell his Mom. He also had to figure out what he was going to do with El, because his Mom didn't even know who she was, let alone seen her.

In his head, Mike hatched a plan for him and El to get by his parents without raising suspicion. Mike grabbed his girlfriend's hand and looked at her brown, beautiful eyes. He could have just become lost in them, but he had more important matters on his hands.

"Okay," he started. "Here's the plan. The backdoor to the basement is probably locked, so you're gonna wait right outside of it and wait for me to let you in. I'm gonna go through the front door, and tell my Mom that I spent the night at Will's, and the reason why I have this cut is because…" he trailed off, trying to think of something believable. There weren't many things that could give you a gash that badly, on the face of all places.

"Tell her that you fell off Will's bike?" El suggested. That excuse had crossed Mike's mind, but it seemed too simple. An easy lie that her Mom could perhaps see right through. But it was all he could think of, so he decided to go for it. "Okay," he said. "Let's see how that goes."

Just for good luck, El pulled her boyfriend down and gave him a peck on the lips. Mike smiled, and went around the house toward his front door. He tried the handle, and it was unlocked. Bracing himself for the worst, he stepped inside.

"Hello?" he called out.

His mother walked quickly toward his from kitchen. She stopped about a meter in front of him, and crossed her arms. "What on earth is wrong with you, Michael?! No message? No note? No phone call? Nothing! Do you know how worried I've been about you?!"

Mike winced, knowing that this was going to be a rough conversation, but before he could even open his mouth to explain himself, his Mom was yelling again. "And where is Nancy? Have you heard from her either? She hasn't called me in forever, she better be with Jonatha- wait, Michael, what on earth happened to your face? Are you okay? Oh my God, sweetie…"

"Mom!" Mike interrupted. "Jesus Christ, I'm fine. I just fell off Will's bike yesterday. And I'm sorry I didn't call, Will's phone was...his phone line was down, it just got fixed when I called you. So I couldn't call you before that. Can you just...tell me what my punishment is so I can go downstairs?"

Mike's mom gave him a quizzical look. "You think I'm going to punish you?"

"Well...I mean, yeah. I didn't call you for so long, and...what, you're not?"

His Mom uncrossed her arms. "Okay. I can't really get mad at you for not calling because, _if _you are telling the truth, then you weren't able to call, and that's not your fault. But still, it's not that long of a walk. You could have just came over and told me. I've been worried sick, especially with the fire at the mall."

Mike looked at his Mom expectantly, awaiting his sentence. "You're grounded," she decided. "For...three days. Any longer, and I'll _want _you out of the house."

"Okay," Mike replied, grateful that his punishment wasn't that severe. "Thank you."

Mike left his Mom, and started to walk down the stairs to the basement. With every step there was a creak, and with every creak he became more excited to see El. He felt bad, given the circumstances, but the thought of him spending a whole day, perhaps more, completely alone with El made him really excited. And he knew El would be upset, and he would be helping and comforting her for the majority of the time, and would also probably wind up letting her cry into him at some point, but nonetheless.

He unlocked the backdoor and opened it. El wasn't there. He stepped out of the doorway and looked to his right, and saw El hiding behind the bushes in the back garden. He smiled.

"Come in," he said, to which El returned the smile and stepped into the house.

"Just leave your shoes over there," Mike said, indicating toward a rubber mat by the door. El kicked off her shoes and walked gingerly into the center of the basement. Mike followed her, and scratched the back of his neck. He took into account that she was still wearing Joyce's oversized pajamas. "Do you, um...want some nicer clothes? I can grab some."

El chuckled to herself. "What?" Mike asked, feeling a smile starting to spread to his face at the magical sound of El's light laughter.

"Nothing, this just...reminds me of that night. The first night that we met."

"How?" Mike asked.

"You gave me some dry clothes. When I was in the fort that you built me. Remember?"

Mike's heart became fuzzy at the memory. He vividly recalled the stormy evening that he had been with Dustin and Lucas, wandering around Mirkwood looking for Will. Then he had heard rustling in the bushes behind him, and his life was changed in the second after.

"I remember a lot of things from that night," Mike reminisced. "I remember hearing you running around in the trees, thinking it was a wolf or something. I couldn't have been more wrong."

El walked toward him and hugged him, digging her fingertips into his back, breathing in his scent. She closed her eyes, and ran her right palm along the length of his spine.

"My life changed so much that day, El," Mike murmured, closing his eyes and resting his chin on the top of her head. "Me too," she replied.

They stood in the center of the room, wrapped in each other's arms for a few minutes, just breathing, enjoying one another's presence. It calmed them both down from the events of the last two days. El's mind started to wonder, and she started to think of that first night again that she spent in Mike's basement. She remembered the clothes that Mike gave her when she was sitting on his couch, shivering and wet. She remembered changing in the bathroom, after almost getting naked in front of Mike's friends. She bit back a laugh at that memory. She remembered showing Mike her "011" tattoos, and how he reacted. She remembered when Mike had given her the name "El." She remembered the blanket fort that she had slept in, and then had a thought.

"Mike?" she quietly asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can we build a...a 'fort'"?

Mike looked at her with a confused face. "What?"

"That is what it is called, right? A...fort?"

Mike let go of her, and put his hands in his pockets. "I mean, yeah, we can. But why?" he said, with almost a laugh. He was fine with building a fort with El, but he wanted to know why on Earth she would want to.

"I don't know, I just...I want to lie down in one with you."

Mike's heart swelled and he grinned. "Sure, El."

**Thanks for reading this chapter, sorry for the longer wait. I'm working at my own pace right now, but no more than 3 or 4 days for the next one. Please drop a review, I'm curious to see what you guys all think about the story so far. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Pass me that blanket, El," Mike requested, pointing to a fluffy, white piece of fabric draped on the back of the sofa. El walked toward it and passed it to Mike. He put it across the two chairs that were holding up the rest of the blankets, and realized that it was not going to be big enough for both of them.

"Hold on, let's get something else to support it. We need it bigger," he concluded.

"Okay," she replied. "What should we use?"

Mike stepped back, and put his hands on his hips. "Let's take that table, we can use that," he improvised, pointing toward the small coffee table where he played D and D with the rest of the party.

They grabbed some extra blankets and the table, and found a foldout chair in the closet. When it was all said and done, the two of them stepped back and admired their handiwork.

"Looks pretty damn good to me," Mike boasted.

"Yes," El agreed. "Damn good." Mike's lip curled when El said that. He always found it cute and endearing when El repeated him, even if she wasn't sure what it meant.

"It feels like I'm...going through the same thing again," she thought aloud, after looking at the fort.

"That's called deja vu," Mike said.

"What's...deja vu?" El inquired, looking at him with confused eyes.

"It's what people call the feeling you're having. When you feel like you're seeing or doing the same thing over again. Sometimes it even happens when you don't even remember it."

El nodded. It always made her feel happy when she learned something new from Mike. She had learned a lot from him in the past six months, especially words.

"You wanna go in?" Mike asked jubilantly.

El gave him a toothy grin and nodded her head. The two walked into the fort, hand in hand and sat down in it. Mike leaned back and put his back and head against the wall. El did the same and Mike eased his arm around her body and around her shoulders. El sighed contentedly and leaned her head against Mike's chest.

"This is nice," el said.

"Yeah," Mike agreed.

El eased herself down into a lying position, and stared at the blanket ceiling of the fort. The sight of it reminded her of her first night at Mike's house, and a whole whack of emotions poured into her soul. Even though the thought of Mike brought her happiness, her mind started to think about the other things about that night; the bad men killing Benny, running around on the painful forest floor in nothing but her bare feet. She had spent hours and hours fleeing from them, away from the lab.

And inevitably, she began to grow angry and upset, angry and upset because of her other life; it was because of the bad men that she never had a Mom, it was because of the bad men she never had a regular life, it was because of the bad men that she had gone to the void and opened the gate. And it was because of the gate that all of this had happened. The death, the destruction, the horror.

It was because of the gate that the only true parent she had ever had was gone.

She squeezed her eyes shut and felt wetness on her eyelids. Mike must have noticed, because then she felt his hand brush her face and clear her tears away. She grabbed his hand and pulled it toward her cheek. His touch calmed her.

"Shhhh," Mike soothed. "Come here."

El sat up and put her head into Mike's shoulder. She rotated her neck so that her ear was near his chest, she could almost hear his heartbeat. "Are you thinking about...about Hopper again?" Mike asked in as soft a tone as possible.

El was thinking about her Dad; she had been thinking about him nonstop since the parking lot last night. But right now, something else was on her mind.

"No, it's not that," El sniffed. Mike looked at her strangely. "I mean...I have been thinking about him, all the time. But right now I was just...thinking about other things."

Mike started to stroke her hair slowly and soothingly. "What other things?" he pressed.

"I thought building the fort would be fun. But it's just making me think," El continued to cry softly.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Looking at the ceiling of the fort... made me remember the night we met, but it also made me remember the other stuff," she said. "When the bad men killed Benny, and when I was running for hours away from Papa, and how I opened the gate…"

Mike was still silent, allowing her to vent all of her emotions before he spoke. "I never got to be a...a normal girl. I never did anything. And it was because of Papa and the bad men that I opened the gate, and that's why all those people are gone."

It broke Mike's heart to hear about El's thoughts. Whenever she told him about the lab and what they did to her and how they treated her, it made his blood boil. And he felt terrible for building the fort with her, especially because it seemed that it had triggered these memories for El. He had dealt with enough of this stuff in the last six months.

"I know, I know," he sympathized, wrapping both his arms around her torso, planting a kiss on the top of her scalp. "No one deserves that kind of shit, El. But it's over now, and Papa is dead, and all of the bad men are too. Just...try not to think about it. They got what they deserved."

El tried to find resolution in Mike's words, but it was difficult. The words of that man that night with Kali had haunted her since she had heard them. No...he is alive. What was his name? Ray...something? She had not stopped thinking about it, and she was afraid to admit it.

But she suppressed these thoughts, and focused on the fact that she was at home, in the arms of the boy who she loved. "Yes," she sniffled. "I guess."

"Do you want to take the fort down?" Mike asked.

"No, I want to keep it up."

"Okay," Mike told her, rubbing her arm. He lay down, and brought El with him, so that both of them were on the ground, looking at the blanket ceiling of the fort. Mike was about to tell her to focus on the good things in her life, but then he realized that, tragically, there was nothing. Her home was gone, her Dad was gone, and she was completely lost. Fuck, he thought.

Well, the least he could do was try to help her get through this hard time in her life. He made a silent promise to himself to never back down, and to always do everything in his power to be there for her whenever she needed it.

He took her gently by the wrist and kissed the top of her hand. Then her wrist, and a few times on her forearm. El giggled at the feeling.

"Mike, what are you doing?" she laughed. Mike smiled, but never stopped bombarding her with kisses. He continued to trail up her arm, gradually moving closer and closer to her face. El, not wanting to stop feeling his lips on her bare skin, pulled down the sleeve of her t-shirt, exposing her shoulder. Mike noticed this, but did not break his rhythm. With every second that he continued to inch upward on her arm, the chills within El grew more and more. As he approached the top of her bicep, El was quivering with anticipation. She just wanted to feel his lips on hers. The teasing was driving her crazy. He let his mouth linger on the top of her shoulder near her collarbone, and El had to bite back a groan.

When Mike reached this point, he decided to go a little further. He let his tongue slip out and he dragged it lightly across the skin on her bare shoulder and toward her neck. El moaned and placed both her hands on the back of his head, pulling him in deeper. Mike rolled over onto El and continued to kiss and gently suck the skin at her shoulder and collarbone.

"Mike, go higher…" she moaned, curling her fingers into his locks of fluffy, dark hair. Mike happily obliged, tracing a slow and wavy line up to her neck with his lips and tongue. He took care to not go too fast, he wanted El to experience this slowly. He reached her neck and felt El's body become rigid and then relax after a second or two.

He parted his lips and placed them on her skin with more aggression, and began to suck. She let out a soft moan of contentment in response, and raked her nails down Mike's back. Mike ran placed one of his hands on the side of her head and massaged it through her hair.

El was in ecstasy. She couldn't believe that in the six months they had spent sharing moments similar to these in her room, Mike had never done this. She tilted her head behind her and arched her back to allow him to gain access to the front of her neck, where he moved his lips and continued to gently lick and suck.

"Oh, yes, Mike...like that…" she breathed, eyes closed.

"HEY! KEEP THE DOOR OPEN THREE INCHES!"

El's eyes shot open and she practically threw Mike off of her. She bolted upright and whipped her around the room and toward the door. Did Hopper say that? No, he was gone, he couldn't have said that. She turned to Mike, who was so shocked he couldn't even speak by the looks of it. He snapped out of his trance quickly.

"Oh my God, El, I'm sorry I must have gotten carried away, I…"

His voice seemed to fade away in that moment, and all she could hear was her Dad's voice in her head. _Keep the door open three inches, that's the rule! Hey! What're you doing in there?!_

What was happening?

Mike's voice returned, and he was still rambling. "El? El, are you okay, oh my God…"

El erratically crawled out of the fort and stood up in the center of the room, and looked around. Was she going insane? She started to walk toward the couch, but she collapsed on her knees before she could even make it.

"He's...gone," she whispered to herself. "What's happening…"

"El, what's going on, I-" Mike started to say before he was cut off my El.

"Mike, I...I heard him," she whispered.

"Heard who? The Mind Flayer?" Mike gasped, panic rising in his voice.

"No, Hopper," she said through tears. "He was-he was yelling at-at us."

Mike instantly felt terrible. He hadn't been thinking, he just wanted to try to help El forget about all the shit that was going on, but maybe he went about it the wrong way. The more he thought about it, the more stupid he felt. Her fucking Dad had died yesterday, and what was he doing? Making out with her like nothing was wrong in the world. Fuck!

"Oh my God, El…" he said, and walked toward her with his arms out. A crying, hysterical El came to meet him in the middle, and she collapsed in his embrace.

"Why did he have to die?" she wept.

"I know, El, I know, shhh," he told her, backing up to sit on the couch, with her lying down with her head in his lap.

"I miss him-him so much," she wheezed. She felt mucus about to drip from her nose, and she inhaled sharply. She started to cough. She was a mess, a complete embarrassment, all in front of Mike. She didn't want Mike to see her like this.

She heaved herself off the couch and began to walk toward the front door, still with a limp from the bite.

"El, where are you going?" Mike asked frantically, jumping from the couch to get to her.

"Just leave me alone!" she yelled, getting to the front door and opening it.

"El, wait! Just let me-" El slammed the door behind her, walking away, tears streaming down her face. She wasn't mad at Mike, she just didn't want to be near him. In reality, she was mad at herself for making herself look stupid and weak in front of Mike. She was mad at Hopper for leaving her and then getting himself killed. She was mad at Joyce for letting him die. She was mad at the whole FUCKING world.

She heard the door behind her being thrown open, followed by the distressed calls of Mike.

"El, please! Come back!" he called out. She continued to walk, starting to speed up. She didn't even know where the hell she was going, she just wanted to be alone. She tried to run because she heard Mike's footsteps behind her, but her leg would not allow that. Pain exploded from shin, but she didn't fall. She had already humiliated herself enough that day.

So she slowed down, and like she expected, she felt Mike's large hand clamp down on hers and pull. She tried to yank it away, but when it came to physical strength, Mike was superior. If she still had her powers, she would have flung him off of her in a second.

"El, come back, please," he begged. "Tell me what's wrong? Was it something I did?"

El stared at his eyes, his image slightly blurry from the salty liquid in her eyes. She shook her head no, and looked away.

"El, please, tell me the truth. It was me, wasn't it? I shouldn't have been kissing you like that, I-"

"GOD DAMMIT MIKE!" El screamed.

Mike took a step back, startled by her outburst. "It wasn't you, okay?! My FUCKING Dad just died," she shouted, blinded by rage and frustration. "Do you actually think you just kissing me like that would make me this FUCKING upset?! Not everything is about you all the time!"

Mike continued to stand there, speechless. El had never cussed before, let alone used the word '"fuck." And here she was, having said it two times in practically the same sentence.

"All I want to do is spend time with you and kiss you and be with you but all I can think about is the fact that I'll never hear his voice again," her voice broke, and another round of tears started to cascade down her cheeks.

"And whenever I want to do things with you, all I hear in my head is his voice telling me not to! How can I…" her voice trailed off and she turned around again to walk away.

Mike, now snapped out of his confused daze advanced toward his girlfriend once again, except this time he didn't speak; he didn't even say a word. He simply snaked his arms around her from behind and pressed his cheek against hers, and didn't let go. And El stood there, caught in Mike's arms. She tried to force herself away, but Mike didn't give.

"Let go of me," she choked, barely able to form a sentence. "Please."

"No," Mike replied, determined to help her. "I won't."

"Why?" she sobbed, still trying to break from his hold.

Because I love you. No, not now. He couldn't drop that bombshell on her in this state.

"Because you mean too much to me for me to let you go," he decided to say instead. It was simple and true.

El was too emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted to refuse anymore. She let herself go limp in the arms of Mike, and she felt herself get hoisted up by him, and she started to move backward, back toward the door of Mike Wheeler's house.

* * *

Steve and Robin sat in the backyard of Steve's house, sipping on beers sitting on lawn chairs on the patio. They had had a couple each. Robin, being her first time drinking, had a good buzz going, but was still functioning decently. Steve, a seasoned drinker,was operating as if he had had nothing.

"Okay okay okay," Robin slurred, flinging her hand around in a wild gesture to get Steve's attention.

"Yeah," Steve asked, biting back a laugh.

"I have to ask," she began, after putting down her third beer on the table in front of them. "How did you and Nancy break up?"

Steve cringed, vividly recalling everything that had happened that night at Tina's party. He played it cool, though. It had been a long time ago, but it was still something that he did not like to talk about. His eyes fell on the still water of his pool and he began to retell the events of the party.

"Me and her were at a Halloween party last year, big house. Really intense. This was after Nancy and I had a little bit of a disagreement-"

"About what?" Robin interrupted.

Steve sipped his beer again, signing into his can through his nose. "Back in '83 her best friend died. She was killed by one of those things, we called them Demogorgans. And as you know, after all the stuff happened, none of us were allowed to tell anyone about what had happened. Like, nothing. And I'm talking, like, government invading your house and shit."

"Really? Are you bullshitting, Dingus?" Robin asked quizzically.

"Nah, on God," Steve assured her. "So she was having a real time keeping the truth a secret. The parents of her friend, Barb, still thought she was alive, thought she had ran away from home. But she was actually dead. Her parents were about to sell their house to get the money to pay for a detective to find their dead daughter."

"Jesus Christ," Robin gawked. "That's...fucked up."

"Yeah," Steve nodded his head, fiddling with his now empty can. "She wanted to tell Barb's parents. I didn't. So I told her to just...just forget about all the crazy shit, and go to this party, and act like stupid teenagers for a couple hours."

"Makes sense," Robin nodded her head. "I don't get why the hell she would want to tell them, if the government would have fucking killed you guys or something."

"Yeah, exactly," Steve replied. "So we were at the party, and Nancy was drinking a shit ton, she was getting drunk. So I told her to watch her alcohol, take it easy on the punch. She didn't want to, we got in a fight, and she spilled some punch on herself. We were talking in the bathroom and she, uh…" Steve rubbed his chin.

"Then what happened?" Robin pressed, sitting up straighter in her chair and chugging down the last of her can.

"She told me that she didn't love me, right to my face. Called me bullshit, and that we killed Barb. She had been stringing me along for a fuckin' year. She didn't love me when I loved her."

Robin was silent for a moment, contemplating what she had just heard. Her initial thought was that Nancy was a bitch, but then she realized that falling out of love wasn't unheard of, nor was it her fault. But the way she went about it was definitely a bitch move. And Steve didn't deserve her.

"She didn't deserve you, then," Robin said. "It's not your fault. She just...wasn't the one, I guess."

"Yeah, I suppose," Steve said melancholically.

The two sat in their chairs, watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon, bathing the clouds in a fiery glow. Steve had opened his fourth beer, and was enjoying the taste. He loved summer evenings like these, relaxing on the patio watching the sunset while indulging himself in some light drinking. He suddenly had an idea.

"Hey," he spoke out to Robin, shattering the cool evening silence. "I got an idea, but I don't know if it's stupid or not."

Robin, become progressively more intoxicated by the minute, perked up at this statement. "Hit me, Herrington."

"You think it would be fun if we gave all the little shits alcohol?" he said with a mischievous smirk. He couldn't tell if it was him or the booze talking, but it was a good idea either way. "We just have to make sure they stay at my house, don't throw up, and crash here so they can sleep it off for the next day," he planned.

"That. Sounds. Awesome," Robin said, laughing maniacally at just idea at a bunch of fifteen year-olds getting drunk in Steve's basement. "Oh my God, this has to happen ASAP."

"I'll drink to that," Steve smiled, clinking his can against Robin's.

**Thanks for reading this chapter. As always, leave a review, it lets me know if you are liking it so far :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, thanks for coming back to read this chapter. Just an FYI, this chapter is when the "M rating" side of things start to come up. So be aware of that please. Also, would you guys prefer that I start uploading longer chapters but less frequently, or just keep doing what I'm doing? Let me know in the review section.**

Will was eating dinner with his mom and Jonathan, but he wasn't hungry. He was too busy thinking about his mom had said earlier; she never saw a body. Hopper could be alive. What if he had found an escape route, or jumped through the gate, or...or anything?

He picked at his food, contemplating his options. He could tell the others, but would that do more harm or good? He didn't want to give anyone false hope, especially El. That would rip her apart her whole life. In this case, closure could be the best thing anyone could ask for. No questions, no mystery; Hopper was gone, end of story.

But on the other hand, maybe the idea of Hopper being alive was something that El needed to hear. Maybe it would make her happier. But what if he was just being held in some Russian POW camp, getting tortured?

The best thing to do was probably to tell Mike. He would know what's best for El.

"Hey," his mom's voice came, shattering his train of thought. "You okay? You've barely touched your food."

Will hesitated, but replied to her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."

He faked a smile, but knew a pressing conversation with Mike would have to take place soon.

Max and Lucas had been in Lucas's basement for a while. They had just wrapped up watching a movie, and were watching the closing credits roll. Max sighed, and leaned into her boyfriend's body.

"How you feeling?" Lucas asked.

Max shrugged. "I don't know...weird, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

Max looked at him, and then furrowed her brow. "I don't know...I guess I just don't...don't quite believe it yet. Like my mind hasn't really accepted the fact that he's gone."

"That's okay," Lucas consoled. "You're not in a schedule. You have as much time as you want to accept it."

"Yeah. I guess," Max said. Lucas could tell that she was still confused about her emotions.

"I really don't want to go home," she sighed. "I just want to stay here with you. But the longer I'm away from my house, the more shit I'm gonna get when I go home."

"You can stay here for as long as you want," Lucas assured here. "My parents don't mind."

"Yeah, thank God. I wish I could bring you home with me," she cursed under her breath. "Fuck that."

"Hey, we've gone through this before. Calm down, there's nothing we can do."

Max kissed his lips. "I'm sorry, it's just that you deserve better. You deserve to be with someone who has parents who don't judge you based on your fucking skin colour."

Lucas clicked his tongue. He was a black person in 1983, he was no stranger to being the victim of racism in his life. Mind you, it was never anything too serious. The worst he would get is some dirty looks by some, but nothing more. It was only until he had met Billy and heard about Max's step dad that he ever really understood what it felt like to be on the receiving end of true discrimination. And even the thought it made his blood boil in anger, but he wasn't going to show that to Max.

"Don't worry, Stalker. Just a couple more years, and you can move into you own place and you can invite me over all you want, and you won't have to look at your step dad again."

Max laughed out loud and leaned over on the couch to cuddle with her boyfriend. She was so thankful for him. She would never admit it to him, or anyone for that matter, but she was pretty sure she loved him at this point. Especially after the last few days, all the times he had saved their asses, she was pretty positive. Her thoughts drifted to all the times he had done something heroic; using his slingshot to save her from Billy during the Sauna test, cutting off the tentacle of the Mindflayer at the cabin, and using his stupid fireworks to save El.

A part of her wanted to tell him how she felt, but another part of her wanted to hold back because she was afraid that he did not feel the same way about her. Maybe she could take to El about it. It sounded like a good idea for some nice girl talk.

"But seriously though, when are you going back to your house? I love having you here, I just want to make sure I can see you again," he chuckled, to which Max dryly laughed in return.

"Well," she said. "By now, they've probably heard that Billy is-is dead. And my Mom is probably in a crying fit, and my step dad is...well, I don't know what the fuck he'd be doing right now. So I'd be walking into a shitstorm, and chances are that both of them will be too preoccupied to even care about me. I won't tell them that I was there, I'll come up with some excuse. I don't think I'll be punished, so long as I don't get home more than a week from now."

"A week?" Lucas asked, displaying a small grin. "I like the sound of that."

"Mm, I bet you do," Max smirked pulling him in for a lingering kiss. Their lips moved rhythmically against one another's, until Max suddenly broke her motion and moved away.

"Is something wrong?" Lucas questioned. He knew that it was nothing that he did. Kissing like that was something that wasn't rare. So he couldn't have overstepped any boundaries or something.

"No, I just...I can't stop thinking about him."

"You mean Billy?"

"Yeah," Max replied, reaching up to rub her eyes with her thumb and index finger.

"Maybe talking to your Mom or something will help?"

Max considered his words, and concluded that he might be right. Her Mom was a really nice person who she loved a lot. She would be able to give her some guidance, help her get through this. But as much as her Mom would be able to help her, she had a feeling Lucas would do a much better job.

"Yeah, maybe I'll talk to her when I get home," she murmured. "I dunno."

She forced all the negative thoughts out of her mind. Right now she just wanted to have some sexy time with her man.

"Come here," she commanded, slightly biting her lower lip.

She shifted on the couch and moved to sit on his lap facing him. She pressed her lips savagely against his, and she felt the thoughts of her brother and step dad and everything else quickly ebb away. She tilted her head more to the right while he simultaneously did the same, deepening the rapidly intensifying make-out session. Lucas moved sideways to lie along the length of the couch, and she moved with him to straddle his hips. When his back met the seat cushions of the couch, Max moved her mouth to his neck, and began to gently suck the skin.

Lucas hummed quietly in contentment, and reached his right hand to grab Max's ass. Startled slightly, but not thrown off by the action, she lightly nodded her head and pressed her body into him, focusing mainly on his groin region. She began to sway her hips forward and backward, grinding up against the growing bulge in his pants. He continued to run his fingers along her behind, almost in ecstasy from the feeling of her firm ass in his hand.

Happy with her work on his neck, Max moved away from it and back to his lips. She felt Lucas grab the hem of her top and tug it upward. She leaned back just enough to peel her shirt off, her chest almost fully on display for her boyfriend now.

She lunged back into him, and he moved his hands to her front to gently caress her breasts through her bra. He could ever-so-slightly feel her nippes through the fabric. He desperately wanted to go underneath, but he didn't want to overstep any boundaries. It wasn't that he had never done it before, it was just that in her current state with her brother and all, he didn't want to do anything wrong.

"Go under," she whispered into his mouth. Lucas grinned into the kiss, and slipped his fingers under the material. His warm fingers spread out and he tried to take as much of her tits in each of his hands as possible. The soft mounds of flesh felt amazing in his hands. He flicked his thumbs over each of her nipples, and she moaned in response.

"Want me to take it off?" she breathed flirtatiously.

"Please," Lucas murmured back.

She sat up again, and reached around her back and unclipped her bra. She placed it on the ground beside the couch, and remained upright to allow Lucas to soak in her bare image.

"God, you're so fucking sexy," Lucas whispered. She smirked and leaned back down to taste his tongue on hers. She parted her lips as he did the same and they met in the middle. Without looking, she worked her hands to loosen his belt.

Lucas's heart almost skipped a beat. She had never taken this step before. He wasn't going to object to it, though. He had spent many hours in his room fantasizing about this sort of thing, and to have it finally come to realization made him tingle all over. He didn't know for sure why she was making this move, but he could guess; perhaps she was trying to forget about Billy and everything by distracting herself with...well, whatever this was. If it was going to result in sex, then he thought that maybe he wasn't ready for this step.

But at the same time, the idea of sex made him nearly crazy with desire. However, he'd feel incredibly guilty if they only did it just because she was feeling sorry for herself and needed a distraction. He lightly pushed her away from him. She had a confused face.

"What's wrong?" Max asked.

Lucas paused, and furrowed his brow. "Max...are you sure about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're very upset and emotional right now, and...I want to make sure that you're actually ready for this and want this and you're not just trying to-to distract yourself by doing something that you don't really want to do."

Max thought to herself for a couple moments. She was upset and she was feeling a lot of emotions right now, and she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't trying to distract herself a little bit from all the stuff that was going on, but at the same time she wanted this. She was aware of the fact that not even a couple days ago she was explaining to El "happy screams," and that the things that Billy does (or did) alone with the girls was gross. But after everything Lucas had done, and everything he was doing to help her made her want more, made her want to give him more. Maybe not actual sex yet, but something a little more intimate then just kissing. Since that conversation with El, something seemed to have clicked in her. Maybe it wasn't so gross anymore.

"No, I want this," Max assured him.

"Are you sure?" Lucas said, still not believing what has happening.

Rather than responding, she simply slid her right hand under his pants and grabbed a hold of his penis through his boxers. Lucas exhaled sharply and suddenly. "Okay," he gasped.

"Yeah," she smiled mischievously. She wanted to show Lucas how much she appreciated him for being there for her, and all that he did for the party; the way he protected her from Billy during the Sauna Test; how he rescued El and the rest of them in the cabin with the ax; his firework idea that ended up saving them all at Starcourt; the slingshot that he had fired to draw the Mindflayer away from her in the Gap.

She started to rub his erect member though the material of his underwear, and Lucas groaned back in ecstasy. He reached up to grab a hold of her breasts again, and massaged them passionately. The feeling drove Max crazy, and made her want to go even a step further. She yanked his pants down to about his knees so she could get better access to his crotch.

"You want me to go under?" she teased him.

"Yes," he replied, barely able to form words.

Max slipped her entire hand under his final layer of clothing. His pubes tickled her skin, and when she felt his dick in her fingers she immediately a pool of heat move toward her lower body. She began to stroke it slowly, listening to the music of Lucas's voice urging her to continue in a low voice.

Feeling bold, Lucas started to rub her vagina through her pants. Max moaned into his mouth, she was in heaven. She felt her core becoming dripping wet, she desperately wanted Lucas to feel his hand against her bare body, not just through her pants. But his parents were just up the stairs, and she wasn't quite sure that now was a good time to take any bigger steps than what they were already doing.

So she settled on a different idea.

She broke apart from the kiss scooted down the couch, so that her head became level with his genitals. Lucas could only guess what was coming next, and he was prepared. His girlfriend lowered his underwear, and his boner flopped out.

She had never seen anything so bizarre looking, yet so beautiful. It made her so fucking horny. Without hesitation, she placed her hand on his girth and dragged her tongue around and across the head of his dick.

"Oh, shit…" he groaned, and placed one of his hands on the back of her head. She swirled her tongue around his head, and up and down the shaft slowly and methodically. The taste of him was enough to make her lose her mind. She decided she was done building up, and decided to go fully in.

She wrapped her lips around the tip and sucked on it, while still flicking her tongue across it. "Oh God," Lucas moaned. "Like that." She moved her head back, her lips leaving his dick with a suctiony popping sound. She dove back in in less than an instant, and took more of him in her mouth, the first two and a half inches or so. She came back up but didn't let go of her grasp on it, and went back down. Up. Down. Up and down. She gradually increased her speed as she became more comfortable with the sensation of his cock sliding in and out of her mouth.

"Max," Lucas breathed. "Keep going, I'm almost there."

Her heart began to race at the thought of Lucas reaching his climax right in her mouth. She didn't know what she would do when it happened. Would she keep her mouth on it when it happened? Would she let it go and just let him do it into her hand?

She never got to decide because before she had even registered what was happening she felt her man's hand gently pressing her head downward as a hot sticky liquid began shooting into her mouth. Her initial instinct was to pull away, but it was already happening so she didn't. She enjoyed it. The taste was unique; sweet and tangy, and somewhat salty in a way. The consistency was strange, like a syrup.

She loved it. She swallowed it all, and lapped up the last of it from around his girth and her lips. She pulled away, smiling.

"So?" she asked, slightly shaking her upper body, allowing her tits to jiggle in front of him a little bit.

"Amazing," Lucas said, heaving and out of breath, eyes closed.

"Good."

* * *

Mike Wheeler walked through the door of his basement and placed a crying and distressed El on the couch. When he set her down, he tried to move away to position himself on the couch beside her, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and did not relent.

"Pl-please," she whispered, her breath catching in her throat as she did so. "Don't let go."

Mike looked back at her, meeting her dark brown, glistening eyes. "El, I was just gonna move to sit beside…" he trailed off when he saw her shake her head. He understood what he had to do.

He scooped her back up in his arms and sat down on the couch, still holding her. Lying in her lap, she continued to sob quietly. She leaned upward and grabbed him so that their cheeks touched, one of her hands on the back of his head and the other on the small of his back.

Mike hugged her back, brushing the still falling tears from her face.

"Shhh," he soothed. "It's okay, it's okay. I got you."

El hated herself. She felt like some kind of parasite, clinging to Mike like a leech. But right now, his touch was the only thing in the world that made her feel like she wasn't going to just explode. She knew that it was only less than ten minutes ago she was screaming and cursing at him, and yet somehow, here he was, holding her. Stroking her strands of hair and brushing the tears from her face away.

God, she loved him so much.

**Alright, chapter 5 in the books. Please review, and drop a follow of your enjoying the story. The more attention this story gets, the more time I'll put into it. Thanks guys :) **


	6. Chapter 6

After a quiet afternoon and evening that were spent cuddling on the couch, Mike and El were preparing to spend their second night together in his basement. He felt bad about it, but the past two nights sleeping with El left him...well, he felt there was more to be desired. He found that every time that he snuggled next to her, he had to fight back the urge to do something stupid. Reminding himself that now was not the best time, far from it actually, he resolved to hold in his urges for the time being. El was in a lot of emotional distress right now, and he needed to be there for her. He could not be just thinking about sex right now.

El was in the bathroom changing into her pajamas (which she had borrowed from Mike), and Mike was sitting on the couch, already changed and waiting for her to come out. The thought of her naked in the bathroom made him feel aroused, but he jammed those thoughts away.

Suddenly the phone rang. Startled, he whipped his head to face it. He walked toward it and picked up.

"Hello?" he said.

"Mike? It's Will."

Mike's eyebrows rose up a little bit. "Will? Why are you calling so late? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he assured him. "I, uh...I was wondering if I could talk to you. Just the guys, no girls. Maybe tomorrow?"

Confusion and worry ran through his mind. "Yeah, sure, I guess. What's this about?"

"Are you alone right now? Is El with you?"

Glancing at the still closed door, Mike replied in a hushed tone, "Yeah, I am. Why?"

He heard Will take a deep breath. "My Mom told me about what happened...in the Russian base, with the gate."

He felt is pulse quicken. What was he talking about? Did something happen that he didn't know about?

"What?"

"I think that...I think there's a chance Hopper might still be alive."

"What the fuck? How do you know?"

"I'd rather tell you in real life. Just me, you, Dustin and Lucas. I think this is something that the girls should stay out of."

"Okay, where do you want to meet? Tomorrow, I'm assuming?"

"El is still crashing at your house, right?"

"Yeah."

"Is there anyway you can get her off your hands for like, an hour?"

Mike pursed his lips, raking his mind for an idea. "Maybe I could see if she could go to Max's for a bit? I'll try to swing something. What time are you guys gonna come?"

"I'll call the others. How's one o'clock?"

"Sure. I gotta go. Talk to you later, Will."

"See you."

He placed the phone down just in time to hear the bathroom door open and see his love walk into the room. She was wearing a pair of shorts that Mike had lent her, and a loose white t-shirt.

"Hey," he smiled at her.

El gave him a half smile back, and crawled onto the couch beside him. Mike pulled out the couch and set up some pillows and sheets for them to sleep in. He climbed under and patted the spot beside him, inviting El to join. She walked over and slipped in beside him.

El was exhausted, emotional, and sick of life. And she was worried that her attitude was rubbing off on Mike. Like she was spreading her misery to him. He hadn't shown any signs of it, but she was still thinking about it. She pulled the sheets up to her neck, keeping a healthy distance from Mike. She felt bad about clinging to him for the entire day and wanted to give him space. But she wanted him.

Needed him.

And on top of that, she was being met with a familiar desire to kiss him.

Hard.

She didn't know why, but she was craving an escape at the moment. She wanted to pour out all of her emotion and frustration and anger into her boyfriend's lips with the ferocity of a wild animal. Just to forget about all her pain just for a few moments while she kissed the boy she was sure she loved. But she didn't know how to initiate. She had been a blubbering mess the whole day, like a stupid baby, and for all she knew she would start kissing him and he would hear her farther's voice in her head telling her to stop. Or Mike would push her off. Or something.

And if she did come onto him, he would probably be hesitant and confused. He would wonder what she was doing, but she knew what she wanted. She didn't want him just to distract her, she wanted him for a reason she could not explain.

Because she loved him, probably. In all honesty, she couldn't describe why exactly she was feeling. Maybe it was simply because it had been half a week since they had properly made out on her bed.

Not wanting to be _too _direct, she decided to drop a hint. She rolled to face away from

and pressed her body against his. His warmth soothed her skin, and she felt her lip curl in spite of herself. Mike responded by wrapping his arms around her torso. Although the gesture was kind and warm hearted, and would have left her content on any other day, right now she desired more. She wanted more than just to spoon.

She decided to try something that she had never done before. She wiggled out of Mike's hold and stepped out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Mike asked her when she started to make her way to the bathroom.

"I'm gonna change shirts, I'm hot," she replied, without turning her head back. She stepped into the bathroom and left the door open a crack. She slipped out of her shirt, exposing her naked breasts. She slipped her bra back on that was hanging over the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror, feeling a tad self-conscious.

She was fourteen years old, and while she was sure that she still had a small bit of ways to go in terms of physical development, she was no stranger to the hormones that were associated with being a teenager. Especially in the last couple months, she had felt herself being slightly disappointed with just kissing. What she knew was that she wanted more, yet she didn't really know exactly that was.

She stood there, continuing to evaluate herself in the mirror, wondering if this was a smart decision. She liked to think that she had good sized breasts; they certainly weren't flat, but they weren't so large that they hung down or anything like that. It was enough for her to grab them and get her hands full. And she was hoping Mike would like them as well.

But what she did know was that boys found breasts attractive. And hopefully, if maybe she exposed herself a little bit, Mike would take the hint. So she nodded to herself and stepped outside into the basement. Mike had his eyes closed, but was facing her direction.

She cleared her throat. "Mike? Is it okay if I wear this to sleep?"

Mike opened his eyes groggily and was met with a wonderful sight. He opened his mouth to speak, but found trouble finding words to answer her. After a solid three seconds of him staring at her, he was finally able to make a sound. "Yeah, sure."

El walked toward him, and he couldn't keep his eyes off her tits. Holy shit, they looked good. They were so shapely and not to small but not too big. Enough for him to completely fill his hands with. He wanted to rip the bra off her so bad. Why would she wear that? Did she want him to initiate something?

His question was answered when El moved into the bedsheets with him. She leaned her back to him again like they normally spooned, except this time she placed one of his hands right on her breast. Mike was shocked. He tentatively rested his hand against the fabric, able to feel the soft flesh in his hand.

"Go ahead," El whispered to him. The feeling of his larger hands against her breasts was indescribable. She wanted desperately for him to go underneath, but she also didn't want to overstep any boundaries.

Feeling her tits being caressed by the loving hands of her boyfriend, she lightly moaned into the bedsheets, in complete ecstasy. She felt his thumb glide right over where her nipple was, which elicited a feeling that gave her chills.

Unable to fight the urge anymore, she rolled over onto him and attacked his face fiercely with hers. She grabbed his shoulders and pressed her tongue into his mouth, and they touched in a moment of pure bliss. They had only kissed like this a couple of times before, and whenever they did El felt like she was floating on a cloud. And right now, she was lying on top of him, topless, gently moving against his body. She wasn't quite sure why she was moving this way; but it felt right.

Suddenly, she felt a growing presence against her lower half. Something stiff and hard was poking at her thighs through Mike's pants. Even though El had never formally learned about sex education, she was aware that boys had a body part called a penis, and she had a vagina. She wasn't quite sure what they were used for, apart from peeing, but when her part and his made that ever-so-small amount of contact she felt waves of pleasure shoot all over her, from toes to the tips of her hair.

So she continued to move against it, feeling it still grow. She couldn't help but let out a small vocalization of pleasure when it poked her right on the spot, to which Mike hummed back at her through her mouth.

The accumulation of stimulation on all her senses made all her problems seem to fade away, like steam rising into the air. In that moment, Hopper, Billy, the cabin, the battle at the mall all seemed to become distant memories, and it was because of the boy beneath her. She continued to vigorously massage his lips with hers, and ran her fingers through his wild hair.

Suddenly, Mike's breath quickened and he started to buck his hips upwards lightly. The action caught El off guard, but she welcomed it. He parted from her lips and arched his back, and let out a muffled groan into her neck, and suddenly she felt a warmth near her center. But before she could even think about what it was, Mike suddenly fell silent. His eyes shot open and he stared at her, and he took off toward the bathroom.

Mike slammed the door behind him.

"Shit shit shit shit shit," he cursed in a whisper. "FUCK!"

He dropped his pajama bottoms and looked at the mess on his thighs. He had been so caught up in his intimate moment with El that he had not realized that he had drawn himself completely to climax. He had shot semen all over himself and on his pants, and had ditched her when it happened. She was probably out there, confused and upset, and he was in here, with a growing feeling of awkwardness and fear because he had no clue what he was going to do. He had no change of pants with him in the basement, and El was waiting outside.

_Fuck_, he thought. He quickly hatched a plan in his mind. He was going to stay in the bathroom for a few more minutes, hopefully El would fall asleep in that time. He would go up to his room and change, and hopefully none of his family would notice. And he would come back, get into bed, and sleep the rest of this nightmare off.

He opened the door, and it seemed that El was asleep, or she was just ignoring him. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, and went upstairs.

* * *

El awoke the next morning with one thing on her mind; seeing Max.

After the strange events of last night, she decided that it would be best if she knew more about sex and penises and such, because after last night she was dying to know more. Most of all, she wanted to know what on Earth had happened to Mike. She glanced at the digital clock on the table and saw that it was half past nine. She wiggled out from under the sheets and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and scrawled a note to Mike that she left in his hand in his sleep. She changed clothes and slipped out the back door.

She made her way to Max's in good time, just over fifteen minutes. She approached the door and knocked on it. No one answered. She knocked again. Again. Still no answer. She huffed out an exhale of defeat. She didn't realize that she might not be home. She turned around to walk back down the driveway, but came face to face with Max instead.

''El? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" she asked.

El smiled. "Yes, everything is good. I was just...wondering if we could…" she struggled to find the right words. This was kind of embarrassing. "Talk? About something?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied. "What's up?"

El hesitated, wondering if this was a good time. Her brother had just been killed, and maybe she was not very emotionally stable at the moment. But she was acting fine, and wasn't even at her house.

"Are you sure?" she questioned, wanting to be positive that she could talk to Max about this. "It's a...weird subject."

Max laughed at this. "Yeah, El, it's fine. I just got back from Lucas's. Tell me what's on your mind."

If Max was honest, what she had said was a partial lie. She wasn't feeling one hundred percent fine; in fact, not even fifty percent. But it was a lot better than yesterday, and she knew that the more she kept herself occupied with other stuff, the less she would feel sad about Billy. She was counting on a morning of being sad on her own in her room, but maybe she could have some fun with El, and try to talk about some stuff. They were going through similar things right now. Maybe that's why she was here.

"Can we go inside?" El tentatively asked, to which Max nodded. After entering her desolate house, they made their way to her bedroom, and El sat down on the bed and Max pulled up a chair from her desk, which she sat on backward, leaning her arms over the backrest.

El took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to start this conversation. "Remember when you told me about...about 'happy screams?'"

Max cocked her eyebrows upward. She wasn't expecting this. "Yeah, sure. Why?"

"And you said that...Billy does things with girls when they're alone?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"What kind of things?" El blurted. She saw Max furrow her brow. Maybe she was being too forthcoming.

"El, what happened with you and Mike?" she asked, smirking.

"What?" El questioned pretending to be confused. Alas, lying was not something she was good at.

"El, you wouldn't be asking me about this unless something happened. What happened?" she pressed, scooting her chair forward to sit closer to her friend.

El cursed herself for letting Max see right through her. She was hoping to have this conversation on neutral grounds, but now Max was going to be asking her a bunch of questions. She didn't have a problem with it, but it was kind of awkward for her to talk about. She felt so ignorant and naive, and would probably make a fool of herself.

"Well, I've been sleeping with Mike the last couple nights," El began.

"Wait," Max cut her off, her tone increasing in urgency. "What do you mean by 'sleep with?'"

"We both slept on the pullout couch in his basement," she responded, wondering why Max had gotten so worked up about that statement. Max exhaled, and looked relieved.

"Okay," she said. "Continue."

She looked at her feet. This was when the conversation had the potential to become weird for her. "I had a really bad day yesterday. And Mike was taking care of me, and the day before that, even though I was really mean to him a couple times," she recalled, remembering her blowout on Mike's lawn.

"And I was still upset. But I wanted to try to...make myself forget about it for a bit."

"Distract," Max corrected.

El had heard that word before. She recognized its meaning. "Yes," she said. "Distract. And I wanted to...to make out with him."

She searched Max's face for any sign of reaction, but she was still looking at her with indifference. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. "But I didn't know how to...start. And I thought that maybe he would be confused if I went to him. So I was just confused. I wanted to tell him that I wanted it without making it seem weird. I was worried that he would be...mad. Or something. I don't know, I feel stupid."

Max reached over and put a hand on El's. "No, you're not stupid. I've been having some similar thoughts about Lucas. These are...hard times. And sometimes people have trouble thinking and making decisions during times like that."

El smiled. She was thankful for Max comforting her like this. "Thank you," she said gratefully. Max nodded and smiled.

"So what did you do?" she asked.

"Well," she continued. "I don't know much about...boys and girls. And the...the parts. But I know that boys like…" her voice dissipated, trying to find a way to say it without coming across as a total moron.

"Tits?" Max finished for her.

"Ti-tits?" El repeated unsurely. She had never heard that word before.

"Breasts," Max corrected herself, smiling a little bit. "It's a slang word for breasts."

"Oh," El replied, nodding. "Yes. Breasts. So I went to the bathroom and I took my shirt off and went to sleep with Mike with just my bra on."

Again, she searched for Max's face for a reaction, but there was none. It made her wonder what sort of things her and Lucas were getting up to. "Do you think that was a good idea?"

"That depends," Max replied, folding her hands. "Did you guys make out?"

"Yes."

"Did he like it?"

"Yes."

"Did you like it?"

"Yes."

"Then it was a good idea," Max concluded. "I'm assuming he felt them up a little bit, right?"

El thought of last night, having Mike's hands caressing them. She felt warm and fluttery inside at the memory. "Yes," she replied dreamily.

"And you were okay with it, right?"

"Yes," El confirmed.

"Then it's fine," Max assured her. "El, I know that a couple days ago I told you that...that things boys and girls do together are gross, and about the 'happy screams,' but I have a confession."

"What is it?" El asked, her interest piquing.

"I know that I told you that it was disgusting and stuff but I guess...I guess I had a change of heart a few days ago. I also stayed at Lucas's house for the last few nights, and we...did some stuff."

El considered what she said for a brief moment. "What kind of stuff?" she asked. "Did you guys...did you guys do 'sex?'"

Max laughed. "No, we aren't quite there yet. But we did something else. Or maybe I should say, I did."

"What did you do?"

Max felt her cheeks go crimson. She really did not want to describe what she did to Lucas to El face to face, with words. She remembered the offer she made to her about her Mom's cosmo magazines, and had the perfect idea. "One second, I'll be right back," she said, and darted out of the bedroom to the bathroom, where the magazine rack was located. She grabbed all the magazines she could find, and walked briskly back to her room, where El was still perched on the side of the bed.

"Here," she said, handing her a stack of nearly a dozen magazines. "This stuff will tell you all you need to know about sex. And probably even more."

El eyed the stack of paper in curiosity. It would take her probably days to get through everything, probably more because she was still a slow and shaky reader. But nonetheless, she was thankful for Max's help.

"I put a sticky note under the section that describes what me and Lcucas did last night," she said. While still unsure if telling El was a good idea, she was confident that she would keep it to herself. Plus, she was her best friend. She needed someone to talk to about this stuff.

"Thank you, Max," El said, and stood up to hug her. Max reciprocated.

"Your welcome, El," she said. "But just promise me one thing."

"What?" El asked.

"Make sure Mike doesn't force you into anything that you don't want to do."

El nodded her head, positive that Mike would never do such a thing. "I won't."

* * *

Meanwhile, four teenage boys were collected in the basement of the Wheeler household, after listening to Will recount what his Mom had told him about there not being a body, and that Hopper could still be alive somewhere. Lucas, Dustin, and Mike had sat on the couch, and Will had stood before them talking, as if he were giving an in-class presentation.

"...and I don't know what to do with that information," he finished, out of breath from talking for nearly three minutes straight without stopping.

His three friends sat in silence, for a moment. Mike considered what Will had said. The idea that Hopper could be alive made him feel emotions. He felt hopeful that he could still be out there, somewhere. He really hoped for that. As he had previously discussed with El earlier, he regretted how he treated Hopper during the summer and the chance to make that up was something he would take in a second.

But thinking logically and realistically, he was likely dead or in a russian prison on some remote island. The chance of him coming back were minuscule, to say the least. The fact that Joyce hadn't seen a body didn't confirm enough to draw conclusions. What if his body just ended up somewhere else where Joyce didn't see? Or what if the explosion had completely vapourized him into atoms? Or he was taken by the Russians?

Telling El would give her false hope. She would spend the rest of her life wondering about Hopper, praying for him to come back when he almost definitely wouldn't. Telling her this news would just prolong her pain. The best thing they could do for her would be to keep it a secret so that she could go through the grieving process and then move on. It would be the best for her, and Mike knew that for a fact. His mind was made up.

His inner thoughts were broken when he heard crack followed by a hiss. He looked over and saw that Lucas had just opened a can of Coca Cola.

"Seriously, dude?" Dustin asked. "I still don't get how you can drink that."

"I don't know how you can't. This stuff is the shit."

"Guys!" Will interrupted, and their three heads whipped back toward him. "What do you think?"

Dustin spoke first. "I think we should tell El. It's her fuckin' Dad, she should know. How can she go around thinking that he's dead when he might be alive? That's not fair to her at all."

Mike jumped in when he heard that. "Exactly! Emphasis on 'might!' How can we give her false hope like that?"

"It doesn't matter! Friends don't lie!" Dustin shot back. "And having her believe he's dead when he might not be is a lie."

"Do you really believe Hopper is alive?" Mike retorted, almost yelling now. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yes."

The room fell silent.

"Look," Lucas said. "The way I see it, each way has an upside and a downside. If we tell her, she'll know the truth. But she could very well be living the rest of her life hoping that he will come back when it will probably never happen. Or, we could let her be, and she'll get over it in a few months, and she won't have any false hope, and no extra pain."

"How do you know it's false?" Will joined the conversation, taking Dustin's side.

"Even if he isn't, he might as well be. If he's alive, he's definitely in some Russian POW camp across the ocean."

The room erupted into anarchy and arguing, and Mike could feel his blood start to boil. It was him who had been with her for the last three days. It was him who had seen her as a crying and emotional mess for so long. His friends had no idea what they were talking about. His friends didn't know _jack shit._ In an outburst of anger and an attempt to protect El, he shouted out.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, and his voice cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter. All three of his friends quieted immediately, and turned to meet his shaky gaze.

"I have had to see El more upset that she has ever been since I fucking met her for the last seventy-two hours straight. The fact that Hopper is gone has completely fucking ripped her the fuck apart. Leading her on by saying that he might be alive, after all the grieving she has already gone through will only drag out her pain and grief. What she needs to do is to finish the process, and then move on. Not cling onto it."

He found himself almost fighting back tears of frustration. What Dustin and Will were proposing was not in anyway good for El. He thanked God for Lucas, because once again, he was the one who had his back in this predicament.

"Okay, fine, I guess you're right," Dustin leaned, and Will nodded. "We're sorry. You know El better than any of us."

Mike nodded his head, content with the outcome of this conversation. "Good."

The boys sat in a somewhat awkward silence. "Where is El right now?"

"Max's," Mike replied.

Lucas squinted his eyes. "What's she doing there?"

* * *

El was walking back to Mike's house after a long conversation with Max. She was holding a large back filled with the Cosmo magazines. She was looking forward to reading them, but she was feeling a little bit of skepticism as well. Whatever she was going to uncover in them was something that made people uncomfortable. Whenever she had tried to talk to Hopper about any of it, or one of her friends, even Mike at times, they got all squirely and tried to get her to change the subject, or told her to ask someone else.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that all the people she had talked about were boys. She had gathered that they were different when it came to this sort of thing. She found herself thanking Max for her help. She also found herself wondering if she was to bring up the subject with Mike once she knew more about it, if he would still have a similar reaction.

She came to the backdoor of Mike's home and was about to knock on the door, but heard yelling coming from inside. She recognized Mike's voice.

"...what she needs is to finish the process, and move on from it. Not cling to it."

There was no more voices for a couple seconds, but then she heard more talking. She couldn't make out the words of her friends, they weren't yelling like Mike had been. She knocked on the door.

"Oh, shit!" she heard Dustin's voice through the door.

"Shut up!"

The back door swung open and she was greeted by Mike. He smiled, and his eyes moved to her giant bag of magazines. "What are those?" he asked.

El's heart started to beat faster. She hadn't planned for Mike to see the magazines.

"Nothing, just...some books Max gave me."

"Oh. Okay," he replied, without further question.

_Phew. _

"What were you yelling about? To the others?" she said, giving Mike a question of her own. Mike suddenly looked visibly uncomfortable, and she noticed that the others also had strange expressions.

"Nothing, we were just...talking about a DnD campaign Will and I are planning."

"Oh," she replied.

But she had a feeling that her boyfriend was lying again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry that this chapter was so short, but I felt like I really needed to get something out. I try not to go more than five days without updating. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, keep them up :) Enjoy!**

Joyce awoke slowly and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. She looked around the house and saw that it was dark out. There was a bottle of vodka on the coffee table next to her head, a parting gift Murray had given her a few days back, after Starcourt. She flicked her eyes to the clock overhead and realized that it was ten-thirty in the evening. She cursed to herself and stumbled to the phone through the poorly lit household.

She dialed the Wheeler's phone and waited impatiently for someone to pick up on the other line. She heard a click and then a pubescent male voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mike? It's Joyce," she replied.

"Hi, Mrs. Byers. What's up?"

"I was just checking to see if Will was at your house right now," she asked nervously. Despite all the time it had been since November of 1983, she always became exceptionally unhinged when she wasn't sure exactly where her youngest child was.

"Yeah, he's here. Is it alright if he sleeps over here for tonight? My Mom said it was okay."

"Yeah, sure, that's fine. Just make sure he gives me a call tomorrow morning so I know everything is okay."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Byers. Have a good night."

"You too, Mike. Say hi to your mom for me."

"I will," he responded, and then hung up. Joyce put the phone down and walked back to the couch. She poured herself another shot and downed it in a swift gulp. Her face contorted, but the warmth that filled her body made her quickly forget about the taste.

It made her forget about a lot of things. The vodka had been her best friend forever since the fourth. It had been three days. Three long, painful and agonizing days. And the only things that had been on her mind ever since that night had been Hopper.

Fucking Hopper. And what made her forget about Hopper? Alcohol. But not really. It just seemed to... lessen the pain.

Joyce was convinced that her love life was cursed. After Lonnie, she was sure the next person that she would meet would be the one. And it would have been. She easily imagined herself growing old with Bob and moving away, starting a fresh new life away from Hawkins, away from the terrible memories. And then he was gone.

For sure, her next partner would be the one right? She would find love and find a person to finally settle down with and start rebuilding her broken life. But no, those fucking Russians had different plans.

She slammed the shot glass down and gave herself another, and poured it into her mouth without another thought. She gagged but did not relent as she had a third. She fell back down on the couch and felt a tear start to form in the corner of her eye. She could almost feel Hopper sitting beside her, talking about the date she had asked him out on, just less than an hour from... from his death.

That word made her sick. Sick to the stomach. She did not want to accept the fact that he was dead. He couldn't be. There was not a body. She had seen the other bodies, the Russian ones in the corner of the room. Those mounds of melted flesh and bones. There was no pile where Hopper had been standing before she pulled the switch. She kept telling herself that he got away. He must have jumped through the gate, or ran away into some kind of escape room. But that just meant he was trapped in the Upside Down, or some Russian POW camp, probably getting tortured.

"Hopper," she stuttered, covering her mouth with her hand, now completely in tears. Her body shook as the sobs came out of her unwillingly. Thank god Jonathan was out with his friends, the last thing she needed was him to see her like that, drunk and crying on the couch. God, she was a mess.

She remembered standing in the parking lot, right after they have gotten out of the Russian base. Will had run to her, across the wet pavement, and hugged her. She felt so relieved to know that her boy was okay, and when she saw Jonathan in the ambulance with Nancy, she felt at ease knowing that all her kids were alright.

But then, she had looked over and seen something that had seared itself into her mind, something she would never forget. She had seen El, wandering around the parking lot, looking for her...her Dad. She had looked so lost, so helpless and scared. Like an orphaned puppy, who had just lost its entire family in a matter of moments. She had looked around, her hope falling by the millisecond only to come to the heartbreaking conclusion that he was gone.

And then she met her gaze and sobbed into Will's shoulder, and Will didn't even know what was wrong until after.

"Oh my God, El," she cried into the crook of her arm. She had a fourth shot, which she had a hard time swallowing. Her final thought before passing out on the couch again was that she had to do something to help El. She had to carry out what Hopper had been doing before he had died.

She had to help El.

* * *

Max sat alone in her bedroom, staring at the ceiling. She had been doing this for a while now, alone with her thoughts. Her mind was sort of empty. She had been thinking about Billy, the image of him standing up to the Mindflayer etched into her mind like a chiseled rock. But it had gotten to the point where she had been thinking about it so much that it almost didn't feel important.

She guessed that this could be possible; she had been sitting here for nearly three hours. It was like she had cried out all the tears, vented out all the emotions...and now she was just...empty. On top of that, she was wondering where the hell her parents were. Then it hit her.

They were out of town, with friends. That meant that they had no idea what was going on, no idea about Billy, about anything.

"Fuck," she whispered, thinking about how awful it was going to be when they finally came home. She knew that her Mom would be devastated but she honestly had no clue how her stepdad was going to react. He was abusive and seemed to hate Billy in every possible way. But still, he was his Dad, and that had to mean something.

Right?

Rubbing her face, she crawled out of her bed, and slowly trudged across the hall and set a hesitant foot into Billy's bedroom. Resting her hand on the side of the doorway, she moved in. She smelled the beer and cigarettes mixed with sweat and cologne. She saw his disgusting posters on the wall and the ashtray on his desk. To anyone else, it looked like a smelly mess of a young man.

But to her, it was a symbol of a family member who had given his life for her and her friends. She stepped toward his bed, fell onto it, and screamed into the pillow. For as long and as hard as she humanly could, ripping her vocal cords raw.

She looked up and saw his leather jacket hanging on the back of his door. She crawled out of her curled up position on the bed and stepped toward the article of clothing. She took it in her hands, folded it up and clutched it close to her chest, salty tears falling and dropping onto the jacket. She brought it to her room and set it down on her pillow. She lay down next to it, and pulled it over her body, almost as if it were a blanket of sorts. It was like a part of Billy was still with her. And at the moment, she promised herself that she would keep this jacket, keep it in her room, and never let leave her room. So that a part of her brother would always be with her. That was the last thing she remembered before she drifted to sleep.

The phone rang abruptly, and she dragged herself over to it and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Max!"

It was Lucas. Doing her best to hide her feelings, she sniffed and wiped her eyes, and tried to put on a convincing voice. "Hey, Stalker. What's up?"'

"Everyone is at Mike's house right now. Do you want to come and hang out with us?"

Max smiled. This sounded like the perfect thing to get her mind off things. "Yeah, I'll be there soon."

Max knocked on the front door of the Wheeler household and planted her hands on her hips. She heard some commotion coming from the other side of the door, and then it swung open. She was greeted by Mike and Lucas.

"Is El here?" she asked.

"Hello to you, too," Lucas said mockingly but jokingly. Max laughed and pulled her boyfriend in for a hug and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"We don't like El going anywhere near the front door. She's in the basement, don't worry," Mike told Max.

"Good," she grinned and charged past the two boys to be united with her new best friend. She charged down the stairs, at the bottom of which El was waiting eagerly. Her face lit up when she saw Max running down the wooden steps.

"Max!" she exclaimed. Max laughed and enveloped her in her arms, and El wholeheartedly reciprocated.

"How are you doing?" Max asked.

El parted from the hug, still smiling. "I'm okay. Everyone is here."

"Hi, Max," Dustin called out from the couch. Will waved to her from where he was sitting

cross-legged on the floor.

"Hi guys," Max waved back at them. She was still very friendly with Dustin, but her and Will still had not quite connected yet in the way she was with the rest of the group.

"So what have you guys been up to?" El asked.

"Well, we've been teaching El how to play Dungeons and Dragons, but she doesn't like it that much," Mike replied, smiling.

El spoke up quickly. "No, that's not true," she said. "I just don't understand it enough. It's just so complicated."

"Do you want to play with us?" Lucas asked. He was worried Max would consider him a nerd, but he realized that she probably already thought that about him. He saw a smile tug at the corner of Max's lips.

"Yeah, sure," she replied and walked over to the table where the board was set up.

The boys immediately got excited, which did not go unnoticed by Will. He was absolutely ecstatic that Mike and Lucas seemed to be finally getting back into D and D. He was hoping that they weren't faking it, but he was sure that they weren't.

"Okay," Will said. "Max, you can join Lucas so you can learn how to play. That's what we're doing with El and Mike."

"Alright," Max said, and sat down beside Lucas on one side of the table. Lucas pulled Max in with his arm and curled it over her shoulders. From there, Will launched back into the story, doing voices for different characters along with sweeping gestures, making it feel as if there really was a story unfolding right on the table in their basement. And the group played D and D for a long, long time.

* * *

Jonathan walked through the unlocked front door of his house and saw his Mom passed out on the couch, next to a bottle of vodka. He sighed. He knew his Mom was hurting, hurting badly. She was grieving for Hopper. He understood this. Hopper had done so much for their family over the last year and a half, and the fact that he was dead shocked even him.

He walked into his room and dropped his bag, and collapsed onto his bed. Alone with his thoughts, his mind started to roam. He thought of the people who had been lost. The belongings that had been lost. Of the people that he knew, there was Hopper, Billy, Heather, Heather's parents, Mrs. Driscole, and Bruce. He didn't feel bad about Bruce. He always resented Tom for being so mean and unfair to Nancy, but he would not have wished death upon him.

But the person who he felt the most terrible for was not someone who had died. It was El.

Her only parent, the only proper parent that she had ever had, had died in a heroic sacrifice. And now, El was homeless and orphaned. He knew that his Mom was thinking of something, right? She was the only adult who knew about all of it, and she was, well...perhaps not the _best _candidate to adopt a third child. But she was the _only _candidate.

Of course, he could pick up some extra hours, and help his Mom out. He definitely would. It was the least he could do for the girl who saved nearly the whole world and his brother and himself on many occasions. And right now she needed help.

He knew that he would try to be the best big brother to her, and he also knew Will would do the same. And the more he pictured it in his mind, the more he thought it was a good idea. Him, Will, his Mom and El all living together, in a small and modest house, helping El get past her loss and moving toward a better future for all of them.

The concept brought a tear to his eye, and he smiled to himself. He smiled, turned on his side, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

**Next chapter will be out tomorrow or the day after.**


	8. Chapter 8

**As promised, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it, I really enjoyed writing this one. **

"And victory is yours!" shouted Will, and the rest of the party cheered. Mike threw his arms up and hugged El, Max high-fived Lucas, and Dustin fist-bumped Will.

"King Tristan, thankful for your services once again, grants you all a gift of golden coins, and new weapons. And you all leave the castle, and ride out on your horses, toward the sunset."

"That was a sick campaign, Will," Mike complimented.

Lucas nodded his head. "Yeah, it was."

Dustin gave a hearty thumbs-up, his mouth currently full of M&M's. Even El and Max looked like they had a good time.

They all sat back, content with the evening that they had just spent together, populating the couches and chairs.

"Wait," Lucas suddenly said. "Dustin, aren't you grounded right now?"

Dustin laughed. "Yeah, I was, but I wore my Mom down. I managed to convince her not to ground me. It was hard, but I am an experienced veteran."

All of them chuckled at that. They sat in silence for a few moments, bathing in the warm ceiling lights of the basement. It was eleven o'clock, and Mike was wondering where his parents were. He then remembered that his Dad was on a business trip and his Mom was at a party with some friends. He assumed Holly must have been having a sleepover with a friend or something. It occurred to him that he could host a sleepover with all of his friends.

As if reading his mind, Will asked a question. "Where are your parents, Mike?"

"Not here," Mike replied with a smile. "You guys wanna crash here for the night?"

"Hell, yeah," Dustin exclaimed, completely on board with the idea of having a sleepover with all of his friends. His enthusiastic remark was met with agreement among the rest of the Party.

"Alright, let me just get some sleeping gear for you guys, I'll be right back," Mike announced.

"I'll help you," El replied, following her boyfriend up the stairs.

'Don't take too long up there, you two," Max teased, and the rest of them snickered. El smiled back at them.

They reached the top of the stairs, and El looked expectantly at Mike, who seemed to be frozen in place, staring at her. What was he thinking?

"Mike?" she asked, furrowing her brow in confusion."What's wrong?"

He shook his head, snapping out of his trance. "Sorry, I was just, umm…"

Mike was thinking about the lie he had told a few hours ago. When he told El that they were planning for a D and D campaign when in actuality they were all planning to lie to her. And it was his idea. He did not like doing it, but he knew it was the best thing that they could do collectively as a group to help her get better. But now he found himself second-guessing his decision, wondering if he had made the right call. If she was to ever find out about this lie, the lie he told when she walked in, about them _not _talking about Hopper possibly being alive… If she found out about that, it would probably hurt the relationship a lot...but maybe not. Maybe she would understand his dilemma. He decided that this was a bridge that he would cross if it came to it.

"I was just thinking about something," he said. He wasn't lying, he was thinking about something. He just didn't say what.

"Is something wrong?" El asked, looking concerned.

"No, it's fine. Don't worry, it's nothing," he said, trying to just dodge the truth rather than lying. But El caught on.

"Friends don't lie," she said reciting the rule that Mike had given her all that time ago.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Mike snapped. El startled and looked slightly hurt. He immediately felt terrible. So he quickly thought of something to say that was believable.

"Sorry, El," he apologized, pulling her in for a hug. "All this stuff is just getting to me a little bit."

"What do you mean?"

Mike chewed the inside of his lip, and thought of a cover-up on the spot. "Everything that's happened the last few days, I guess it's just...starting to sink in more. I can't stop thinking about the Mindflayer, or Billy choking you, or…"

What had started out as a lie had turned into an actual problem, because now he felt a lump forming in the back of his throat, and he was having a hard time swallowing it. It was true that he was having a hard time coping with what had happened. The image of Billy strangling the girl he loved was too much for him to handle. He squeezed El tighter in his arms, and a tear ran down his cheek and fell on her shoulder.

"It's okay," El soothed. "I'm okay, you're okay, and it's over. He's gone."

Mike sniffled and smiled. He let go of El and looked into her deep, brown eyes. She pecked him on the lips. Their moment was shattered when an annoyed Dustin hollered up the stairs. "Where's the sleeping gear?"

"One second," Mike called back. "We're getting them now, we were just talking about something."

Mike led El to the storeroom, a place he rarely went into. "They're somewhere in here. Help me find the light switch."

"Okay."

Mike felt along the wall but didn't find anything after a few seconds. He suddenly felt something warm and soft, and realized that he had met El's hand. They both froze, but he relaxed when he felt her fingers curl into his. He turned his body toward the open door to try to get some light in his eyes, but he saw El nudging it closed with her foot.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, but his inquiry was soon answered. Now that it was dark, he could barely see anything, but he felt the unmistakable tickle of El's quiet breath against his mouth. He slightly parted his lips, and felt a pair of soft, delicate hands wrap gingerly around the back of his neck, gently pulling it downward. And then, in an explosive moment of bliss the two of them connected.

El stood on her tiptoes to reach upward and captured Mike's lips with hers, and she tilted her head to the right and pressed into them passionately. Mike did the same as he took his right hand and submerged it into her flowing hair. He massaged the strands, sending sparks down El's body. In response, she moved closer to him, and gently nipped at his lower lip, a playful but intimate action that she had never tried before, but discovered that she liked it.

Mike sighed into her mouth in contentment, and gently pulled on her lip with his teeth as well, an action that she found terribly intoxicating. She opened her mouth wider to grant the beckoning tongue of Mike's access, and they met in the middle, meshing into a single essence. She felt a growing presence of his fingers running along her bare stomach. His touch made her wild and she craved more. She gave a slight nod without breaking contact, and she felt Mike smile slightly into the kiss. His hands grew more adventurous as they slowly made their way up her torso, underneath her clothing.

As if high on a drug, El's thoughts became hazy as she cupped Mike's face in her hands, while his continued to ride upward toward her bra. And when his hands finally met them through the fabric, it gave her chills that made her flinch back for a moment. But as quick as she had parted from him, she returned, going back for more.

Mike continued to fondle and caress her breasts through the fabric of the bra, but in that moment, he would have given anything to just rip it off. But he wasn't sure if El was at that point yet, and he did not want to cross any boundaries so soon after they had made up after being broken apart. So he decided on something else instead.

He broke away from this kiss and leaned down to the top of neck just below her ear and ran his tongue across the area in small strokes, punctuating the tongue movements with careful bites and kisses.

"Oh, Mike, that feels so good…" El breathed into his ear. "Go lower…"

He happily obliged, moving down her neck nearing her collarbone. He became acutely aware of the fact that he was drawing very close to the top of the breast. His arousal was intensifying by the second, and he was about to try to make the move when-

"What the hell are you guys-" Dustin flung open the door to the storage room, and Mike and El sprung away from one another like they were on fire. Dustin darted his eyes across the room, first at Mike, and then at El, who had a rather large bruise on the right side of her neck. The room was silent for a few moments.

"Okay," Dustin said, a humorous smile widening on his face while his eyebrows raised. "I got you guys."

"What?" Mike asked, and looked over at El who was yanking her shirt back on, refusing to meet Dustin's gaze.

"I know what was going on here," Dustin smiled, crossing his arms. "And I said, I got you covered."

Mike still was not sure what his friend meant. "What are you covering us for?"

Dustin rolled his eyes. "If those guys knew what you guys were doing up here, they would tease you for weeks. _But_, I know how important this shit is. I was doing the same shit with Suzie during camp."

"Oh...okay," Mike said, noticing that his friend did have a point about everyone else teasing them. Though, he was having a hard time picturing Dustin making out with a girl in a dark room. "Well, thanks, dude."

"No problem, but still. Try to tone it down, will you?" he joked. "I haven't forgotten that you guys ditched us that day when we went to set up the Cerebro."

Mike felt a pang of guilt and instantly realized that he had never formally apologized to Dustin for doing that. His face flushed in embarrassment. He had to make things right with his friend, especially now that he was doing him a favor.

"El, could you go downstairs? Me and Dustin will grab the stuff, I just want to talk to him for a minute."

"Okay," El complied, and exited the room back to the basement.

"What's up? Dustin asked, turning his attention to Mike after El left.

"It occurred to me that I never really apologized for ditching you on that day," Mike said, scratching the back of his neck as he did so. "But I just wanted to tell you that a whole bunch of stuff happened while you were gone in the...the Russain base."

Dustin laughed dryly, recalling the hellish experience. "Oh?"

"Yeah, um…" he muttered, trying to think of a way to summarize what had happened. "Max and El became, like, best friends or something. And Max gave El some advice about stuff, and she, um...kind of dumped me."

"What?!" Dustin exclaimed loudly.

"Hey, shut up, calm the fuck down," Mike whispered aggressively, trying to keep their conversation as low-key as possible.

"Jeez, sorry, I just was _not _expecting to hear that on this Earth," Dustin smirked.

"Yeah, well, long story short, some feelings were exchanged, some stuff with Will and the rest of the party, and I can assure you that El and I will no longer be ditching you guys. I promise. And...I'm sorry for being such a dick. It was wrong of me and-"

"Mike," Dustin cut him off, seeing his characteristic nervous ramble starting to come out. "It's fine, your forgiven." He stuck his hand out. "Shake?"

Mike beamed, and took his hand.

They shook.

Ten minutes later, the entire party was lying in various spots around the basement, on couches, chairs, and air mattresses, cuddled up in blankets and pillows. The sound of them all breathing was the only thing breaking the silence.

"Are any of you guys sleeping?" Max asked.

"No," everyone replied at the same time.

"I can't sleep," she said.

"Why not?" Lucas asked. It was dark. Max was not able to tell if Lucas was even looking at her, but she sensed that he was.

"Just...thinking." She chuckled to herself, and she almost could not even figure out why.

"Thinking about what?" Dustin joined the conversation.

She inhaled, and fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt. "Normal teenagers spend their days at the mall, or the movies, or just stupid teenager shit," she said with a sad smile, invisible to those around her. "We battle monsters from a different dimension, perform exorcisms and fight Russians."

The sentiment was met with dry chuckles and snickers. "What's fucking next? Dinosaurs? Time-traveling? Jesus Christ…" Mike said, drawing out more light laughter from the group.

"I think the only time I ever felt normal was in those six months," El thought aloud, followed by a sniffle.

"Don't worry," Will said back to her. "I think it's over now, for good."

"Let's hope so," Lucas replied.

Another wave of silence cascaded over the party as they continued to lie in the darkness, staring at the dark ceiling above them.

"I'll tell you one thing, though," Mike said. "All the stuff we've done, all the stuff we've gone through, there aren't any fucking people in the world that I would have rather done them with."

"Me neither," Dustin agreed.

"Yeah," Will said along with Dustin.

"We're like one big, fucked up family," Max joked, and everyone murmured in agreement humorously.

"I'm happy to call you guys my friends," El said, her voice almost breaking. "Family."

"I love you guys," Lucas spoke, and everyone turned to look at him. "Not in a romantic sexual way, just...brotherly love. Sisterly love."

"Like a family," Mike clarified for Lucas.

"Yeah, like that."

"Me too."

"You know, when I moved to this town, I thought you guys were the weirdest dudes in town. With those Ghostbuster costumes and shit, you looked like idiots," Max teased them. "But now...I gotta admit; I love you guys too."

Mike realized that as much as him and Max had never really been able to find common ground, with everything about El, Mike realized that, even if it had not started out that way, Max was a part of the Party now. Maybe he was wrong about her… she did want the best for El, and he had recently come to realize that he had been entirely too possessive of her in the recent months. And she was the girlfriend of one of his best friends, the best friend of his girlfriend. Maybe he could start trying to build some kind of mutual friendship with her."Me too, Zoomer."

There was a lapse in the conversation for a millisecond, and then, "I can't even remember what class you are, but yeah, you too, Mike."

"Yeah," Will said. "Same goes for me."

"Yup," from Dustin.

"Me as well," El said.

In El's mind, she started to think. She thought about all the people who were with her, people who cared for her and loved each other, and would always be there for one another, no matter what. She thought of all they had endured and all they had accomplished, and how much they meant to her.

She stood up and walked to the middle of the room. Looking down, she was able to vaguely make out the silhouettes of her friends lying on the ground below her.

"If he comes back," she announced, her voice shaky. "If the Mindflayer comes back, promise...promise that we will all work together to stop him. Promise."

Mike stared at his girlfriend, standing above him, in the middle of the rest of the people in the room. He stood up and grabbed her hand firmly in his grasp. "I promise."

Max stood up immediately after and grabbed El's other hand. "I promise."

Lucas, seeing his girlfriend join them, stood up after her. He took her hand. "I promise."

Then Dustin. "I promise."

Then Will got up, and moved in between Mike and Dustin, and latched onto their hands

with both of his. And then he said the two words that meant so much to the party.

"I promise."

**A little bit of "It" vibes, don't you think? Thanks for the support, remember to leave a review with your thoughts, suggestions and criticisms. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

After a good night's sleep, Jonathan woke up and decided to approach his Mom about his idea to invite El to come live with them. He was confident that it was a great idea, and he knew that if they all worked together they could pull it off financially. He flicked his eyes toward the digital clock on his nightstand and read 9:04. He crawled out from under the sheets, his body stiff as board.

"Ugh," he groaned, stretching out, hearing his back crack with satisfaction. He shuffled out the door and to the kitchen. He found his Mom and the dining table, her eyes half closed eating a bowl of cereal. She looked up at him and smiled groggily.

"Hi, sweetie," she greeted. "Good sleep?"

"Yeah, you?"

She chuckled. "Like a log, but I don't feel too great now. I think I had too much to drink last night."

Jonathan frowned. "You gotta watch it, Mom. You have work today, right?"

"Yeah, I have have to be there at ten," she replied, dodging her son's comment about her drinking. But when she finally looked him in the eye, she gave an exasperated sigh. "I know, I know, I'm sorry, Jonathan."

He walked over to her and leaned down to hug her. "It's okay, Mom, but just...don't overdo it, alright?"

"Yes, okay. I promise."

Jonathan poured himself some cereal, and sat beside his Mom in at the table. "Hey, Mom, I was, uh," he started, having trouble to find a way to break down the barrier. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?"

Joyce looked up from her cereal, and gave her son a warm smile. "Of course, sweetie, what's on your mind?"

Jonathan pursed his lips, and stirred is cereal in his bowl, deep in contemplation. "I was thinking about El, and her situation with...you know, Hop, and I...I thought it might be a good idea-"

"For her to come live with us?" Joyce finished the sentence. Jonathan looked up in surprise. "Yeah, I was thinking about it last night, too."

"Except you were drunk."

"Yes, but, I still think it's a good idea. We can work it out. And I have something else in mind too, something that might help us with that."

"With what?"

"El coming to live with us."

"Why do we need help? There's nothing wrong right now."

Joyce chewed her bottom lip. She was nervous about bringing this up with Jonathan. But she knew that he had to know. "I've been looking into selling the house. So we can get some money to move somewhere else, maybe a little bit better."

Jonathan did not speak for a moment. He just stared at her, as if the wheels in his brain we still turning, processing what she had said. He opened his mouth but did not say anything. He closed it, then opened it once again, but this time was able to form a sentence.

"So you're telling me that...that you want to move?" His emotions were hard to read. She couldn't tell if he was upset, or angry, or happy about it. She did not like that. She was used to being able to read both of her kids like books.

"I'm telling you that we are _going _to move. For sure. I just need to find a good enough place. I already have some ideas."

Once again, Jonathan sat there, indifference spread across his face. He looked down at his cereal, which was growing more soggy and soft by the second. His eyes once again met Joyce's. And they didn't look happy.

"We're moving," he repeated, incredulous.

"Yes, sweetie," she replied. "What do you think?" She moved to gently grab Jonathan's hand on the table, but as soon as she made contact, he yanked it away instantaneously, as if she were carrying some contagious disease.

"I'm leaving," he said, trying to prevent himself from breaking down in front of his Mom. He was seven-fucking-teen years old, he was past having tantrums in front of his Mommy. He walked briskly to his room and slid on some jeans over his pajama boxers. He didn't even bother putting on a proper shirt, he just kept on the plain white t-shirt that he was wearing. He walked toward the door and started putting his shoes on.

"Baby, where are you going?" Joyce asked, walking toward her son. She felt her heart sinking, eating away at her. If this was how Jonathan was taking the news, she was terrified of even bringing the idea up to Will.

"I don't know," Jonathan replied, tears already starting to form in the corners of his eyes.

"So why are you leaving?" She was turning desperate, Jonathan could tell.

"Because I don't want to be here right now." He stepped out and slammed the door loudly behind him, and didn't look back. He heard the door once again open behind him, and the calls of Joyce rang in his ears, but he didn't listen. He moved as quickly as he could down the driveway without running, and stepped into the car and started the engine. He drove off, and that was when he stopped fighting it.

His vision became blurred as salty liquid started collecting in his eyes, and he tried furiously to blink them away but his efforts were in vain. He realized that if he continued driving like he would get into an accident, so he slammed down on the brakes and pulled over on the shoulder of the country road that he was on. He put the car in park and rested his head on the steering wheel. His shoulders shook violently as he desperately tried to drain himself of his emotions, to try to get control of himself for long enough to form a coherent thought in his mind.

Why on Earth would his Mom want to move? And more than that, why would she El to move with them? _El, _of all people. The only people she had ever known were here, in Hawkins. All the people who cared for her and knew about her true past were here, not in some town in another state. And most of all...Mike.

Jesus Christ, moving away from Mike was going to destroy her. It wasn't like Jonathan knew very much about the state of their relationship, but he knew even before Independence Day how strong their bond was. And seeing how they interacted during those days when they were fighting the Mindflayer had only reinforced those thoughts. And now with Hopper gone, Mike truly was her last and only lifeline; and now it was going to be torn away from her.

Then he thought of Nancy. Dear God, Nancy...he loved her, even though he hadn't told her so yet. And the thought of leaving her behind made him sick. And what was all this for? Probably some bullshit like "to get a fresh start" or something. He never understood what people meant when they said that. He knew that his Mom has endured her fair share of challenges, but hadn't they all? And wouldn't running away from their problems only make it worse? And all the people who knew what they had been through were with them already. They had the support of all of those who had been there; all the kids, Steve, Robin (even though he didn't know her that well)...

Were they really better off in some random town with random people who didn't know a goddamn thing? He didn't think so.

Sucking in a deep breath, now fresh out of tears to cry, he turned the car on again and started to drive. He was going to pick up Will from the Wheeler's.

* * *

Will jolted awake. He found himself lying on the air mattress that had been given to him by Mike the night before, nestled underneath a blanket. He looked around, trying to identify what had woken him up, and his eyes fell on Mike, who was crouched over him, hand on his shoulder.

"Mike? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Your brother is here to pick you up."

"What time is it?"

"Noon. I think something is wrong, he seemed a little bit upset."

Hearing this, Will sat up rather quickly. "Is he at the front door?"

"Yeah, your clothes are on the table over there," Mike replied, indicating toward the pile of clothing that was slumped on the piece of furniture.

After getting changed quickly and saying goodbye to Mrs Wheeler on his way out, Will joined his brother outside and walked to his car. They got in, and Jonathan started driving, but something was off about him. Mike was right; something was wrong.

"Jonathan?" Will said, turning to look at his brother.

"What's up, bud?" Jonathan replied, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Is something wrong?" Will analyzed Jonathan's face, but it was hard to gauge what he was feeling. Jonathan sighed and looked out the window opposite to Will.

"No, I'm just thinking about work."

Will knew that Jonathan had been fired from his job at the post; they had had a discussion a few days ago about it. But he had a nagging sensation on the back of his mind that there was something else happening with Jonathan that he could not quite put his finger on.

"Are you sure?" Will pressed, trying to figure out of Jonathan was hiding anything. "Did something happen with Mom?"

"No," Jonathan responded quickly, almost before he had even finished his last word. He had spoken rather loudly as well, and it had startled Will. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but then gave up, and looked out the window on his side. Jonathan would talk to him when he wanted to about his problem, and he would just have to-

"Mom told me that we're moving."

Will's heart stopped. What? They were moving? "Pardon?"

Jonathan cleared his throat and visibly swallowed hard. "I was eating breakfast with Mom, and, uh…" his voice fizzled out, momentarily, before finding it again. "She told me that she was looking for a new house. We're gonna sell ours, and move away."

Will was speechless. "Not only that," Jonathan continued, laughing in spite of himself, sarcastically and laced with anger. "But guess what? After I mentioned to Mom that we should invite El to come to live with us, you know what her idea was? Bring her with us."

Will blinked, already feeling a swelling bulge in his throat. "El?"

"Yeah," he said. "Hopper is dead. I thought it would be a good idea for us to take her in, give her a home. Mom agreed with me, said she had been thinking about it too. Except in her version, we drag her out of Hawkins, and toward whatever _fucking _hellhole we're going to."

Will was stunned. How could his Mom possibly think that moving away was a good idea? Their roots were in Hawkins, their friends and family were in Hawkins. And El had made a life here, a life that she would never be able to get back if they left. And she had made that life with Mike, and Max, and the rest of the party. Sure, Hopper was gone, but she still had her friends.

"I can tell that you're upset about this," Jonathan said, wiping his eyes with the back of his wrist while driving. Will noticed that they were no longer traveling in the direction of their house, but he did not say anything. "I am too."

"But how upset are you?" Will asked. Jonathan turned at the next intersection and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Really upset," he replied. "I don't want to leave behind what we have here."

Will looked forward out the windshield, down the road that they were traveling on. "Me too," he choked, now feeling his emotions overtake him.

Jonathan realized this, but for once in his life, he made no move to try to comfort him. How could he when he was in as big of a wreck as Will was? And the sight of seeing Will beside him in the passenger seat made him want to punch a hole through the glass in front of him. But he knew he couldn't do that.

So instead, he pulled over for the second time that day. And when he did that, Will leaned into him from across the car, and Jonathan clung onto him in reciprocation, and they both cried together.

They stayed like that for a while.

* * *

It was half-past twelve when Max started walking home from Mike's house. She had successfully evaded Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler; the sight of seeing a girl coming out of the basement from a sleepover was one that would have caused a lot of problems. She had left El in the basement; after inviting her over to her house, El told her that she wanted to spend some of her free time reading through the magazines that she had given her the previous day. Mike had gone back to bed, so she wanted to take advantage of the alone time.

Max understood this. She knew that El wanted to start exploring stuff with Mike, and she couldn't blame her, as she had already begun to start trying things with Lucas; the boy who was currently walking beside her on her way to her house. They were hand in hand, enjoying the afternoon air. There was a cool breeze blowing through Hawkins, so it wasn't too hot to be outside. Although, she was looking forward to getting back to her house to have some alone time with Lucas.

"When are your parents getting home?" Lucas asked her.

Max turned her head sideways to return his gaze. "Later today, I think. You have to be gone by then."

A familiar pang of sadness and anger jabbed at Lucas's gut when he heard Max say those words. Not at her, of course, but her stepdad. He was not blind to the fact that Max lived in a very racist household. The attitude of Billy stemmed from his Dad. And because of him, he still remained a mystery to her parents. Max did not want to tell her Mom about him because, even though she would be fine with it, she would be putting her in an awkward situation with Neil, and she did not want to do that.

It pained her to have to force her boyfriend to date her through a series of lies and deception, but Lucas insisted to her that it was fine.

They reached the front of Max's house, and when they saw that there were no cars in the driveway, walked toward the door. Max unlocked the door with her key and stepped inside.

"You want some food? We never got breakfast at Mike's," she offered.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Lucas replied. "What do you have?"

"I was just gonna make some toast."

"I'll have some too, then."

After getting it prepared, the two of them sat at the dining table in silence. Max's thoughts started to drift again toward Billy and her parents. In probably a few hours, her parents would come home, expecting to find Billy and Max in the house, all fine and well. Instead, they would find a letter in the mail saying that their eldest son had passed away in a fire at the mall and that Max had been left all alone for four days.

It scared her to think about how they would react.

"Hey," Lucas said, reaching over the table to put his hand on hers. "You okay? You're not eating, and you've been like, silent, for like an hour."

Max looked at him, and then back at her untouched toast. "My parents are gonna be here later today," she said. "And they're gonna come here, and expect everything to be normal but they're not."

Lucas's face turned serious, and he squeezed her hand. "Hey," he comforted. "It's gonna be fine. It's not like they'll be mad at you, you didn't do anything wrong."

Max sniffed, trying to hold back her crying. She didn't want to embarrass herself right now. "I know, but...they're gonna be so mad and upset. And what if they take it out on me, or something? My stepdad isn't going to have Billy anymore. What if he turns to me?"

Lucas responded immediately. "He won't do that, he can't. Your his wife's kid."

"So?"

"So he won't do anything to you. And if he gives you a hard time, talk to your Mom. She cares about you." Max still didn't look so sure.

"And if you want to leave, get out of the house...you can always come to my place. My parents love you, and I will never say no to spending more time with you."

"They wouldn't me live with you."

"Yeah, but they'll still let you stay here as much as you want," he reminded her.

Max's lips curled upward slightly. "I'm so lucky," she sighed.

"Why?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Because of you," she said back, and before he could say anything more her lips were on his. After a few seconds, she pulled away. "Jesus, that was cheesy. I'm sorry," she giggled.

"No," he said. "It was nice. Cheesy isn't always a bad thing, you know."

He leaned in to kiss her again, but she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and restrained him before he could make contact. Lucas made a mock-hurt face. "What?"

"Want to take this somewhere else that's not the dining room?" she asked, a devilish smile playing at her mouth.

"What did you have in mind?" Lucas questioned, standing up.

"How about my bedroom? Hm?" she asked, growing increasingly flirty.

"Sounds good to me."

Pulling him by the hand, Max dragged her boyfriend down the hall, and into her room.

When they were inside, she closed the door, almost out of habit; she knew that no one was in the house to find them. Lucas had barely sat down on the bed before Max had thrown herself on top of him, straddling his hips. She leaned down and latched her mouth onto the dark skin at his neck, and began to suck the skin. She began to deliver small and smooth licks, with was met with a content sigh. She moved up and lightly nipped at his ear, an action that elicited further groans from Lucas. She traveled along his neck, and started to grind her hips on his body where she felt a growing hardness.

She felt herself getting more and more wet with each passing second. Desire was bubbling within her, and she knew what she wanted. Although, she was not sure if Lucas would be willing to do what she wanted him to do.

But she was pleasantly surprised when Lucas placed his hands firmly on her hips and moved her to the side, and rolled over on top of her. He gently started thrusting into her. Although they were separated by their clothing, the feeling of his dick jabbing into her crotch rendered her breathless.

"Oh, Lucas, that feels so good…" she moaned into his ear and gave it another soft affectionate nibble.

Lucas's head was swimming in testosterone at that moment. He wanted to take her pants off, but he really did not want to overstep any boundaries or make her feel uncomfortable. But he was grinding against her really hard now, and he could tell from her reaction that she liked it a lot.

But before he had to make the decision himself, he felt Max's hands leave his back and come down to her own pants, and she lifted her hips up to slide the clothing off her legs. He stopped moving against her for a few moments to allow her to wiggle out of the pants, and as soon as they were past her ankles and off her body, he threw himself back onto her with a newfound hunger and lust.

It was now his turn to give attention to her neck, giving deep kisses and nips and licks all over the left side of it. Max moaned lightly. It felt really nice, but she needed something more…

She nervously grabbed his hand and directed it down to her crotch. She placed Lucas's hand right on her vagina, only being covered by her wet panties. She felt Lucas freeze on top of her. Her heart stopped, and she thought she had made a mistake by making that move. But her mind went from panic to heaven when she felt Lucas started to clumsily rub her. Obviously he had never done it before, and yet...the sensation was incredible. It was so much different when she had done it herself, and it made her mind turn to mush.

He pressed right against her opening. Pleasantly surprised, she bucked her head upward and gasped. "Oh, yeah…" He started to stroke upward and downward, in between her folds, and gently grazing across her clitoris when he reached the apex of the stroke. Whether he was touching the clit intentionally or not (probably not), at that moment, Max was in heaven. But, she knew that with some direction, it could be even better.

"Lucas, go under," she murmured in between satisfied moans.

"What?" Lucas asked, a hint of confusion in his tone.

Without bothering to speak, Max slid her panties off, leaving her completely exposed for Lucas to see. She kicked them off, and they landed on the floor by her bed. Meanwhile, her boyfriend was looking at her, completely paralyzed.

"Holy shit," he breathed.

"Smooth," Max teased and pulled him on top of her again. Their lips once again started their aggressive dance of passion. Lucas's fingers ever-so-slightly touched her bare pussy, and she moaned loudly into the kiss, growing more and more turned on by the millisecond.

Lucas, at the moment, was scared. Scared, but at the same time, in ecstasy. He had never fingered a girl before. He had never even touched one before. And he had only seen them in Playboy magazines that he had snuck around his parents. So to be in this situation, with a sexually starved girl underneath him was both a dream and a nightmare. He decided to try the most logical thing, and just started rubbing in the general area with his ring and middle finger. They moved between the delicate lips, growing more and more slick with her juices. He started applying more pressure.

In response, Max started to raise and lower her hips to meet his hand, which Lucas took as a sign that he was doing at least something right. But he soon realized that keeping up this charade while in their current position was going to be a herculean task. His arm was already cramping. To mitigate this, as gracefully as he could, he shifted to the right of her so that he was lying right beside her, so his arm had more room to maneuver. He focused his mouth on the side of the neck. He found this position to be a lot easier to maintain.

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he slowly eased his index finger into her hole. "Oh, _shit!"_ Lucas jumped and practically ripped away from her. "Jesus, oh my God, Max, I'm so sorry, I-"

"Jesus, stalker, shut up," Max laughed.

"Huh?"

"You didn't hurt me," she said, exasperated. Lucas opened is mouth to reply, but Max cut him off again. "Just keep going."

Lucas nodded and leaned back in. He kissed her a few times, then leaned back and focused all his attention on her pussy.

His fingers were now sort of dry, so he rubbed them along her folds to lubricate them for easier penetration. Once he was satisfied with his teasing, he slipped a single finger into her. She gasped again but this time he didn't pull back. He kept going in and out, slowly and surely, moving at a pace not too fast but not too slow. The feeling of her walls tightly gripping his digit was amazing; it was so soft and warm and nice.

"Two," she breathed. Granting her wish, Lucas added his middle finger next to his pointer finger. Max was so tight, and it made his dick so hard, watching himself pleasure her like this, her tight pussy squeezing his fingers.

But he still did not really have any idea what to do besides thrusting in and out. So he decided that he would do some experimenting, to see what was good and what was bad. He inserted his fingers as far as they would go so that the entirety of his fingers were now buried in her.

Max let out a high-pitched moan. "Oh, yeah...Curl...oh fuck- curl your fingers, okay," she managed to say in between her vocalizations. Following her instructions, Lucas curled his two fingers inside her and felt the soft ceiling of her cervix. "Ohhhh, _fuck." _

His confidence now flying, he started to roughly rub the inside of her vagina, trying to induce as much friction as possible. "Oh, that feels so good, Lucas, keep going, keep going," Max keened.

Lucas suddenly remembered something that he read in a Playboy magazine; the clitoris. He had heard about in sex ed, but it only really stuck with him after he read it in the magazine. He knew that if he could find it and stimulate it, he would be giving her the greatest kind of pleasure known to womankind. But he had also heard from his sources that, apparently, it was really hard to find.

He started alternating between penetration and rubbing her pussy, trying to find a way to access the sacred spot. He spread her labia and lips, and tried massaging just above the hole, and inched higher and higher, trying to locate it. And suddenly he felt something; almost like a small nub, nestled right underneath the flaps of skin, small and firm. And when he touched it, he saw Max claw her hands around the bedsheets and squeeze them, and her eyes almost shot open.

"Oh, FUCK!" she nearly screamed. "Oh fuck, fuck fuck, Lucas, yes, keep going, yes…"

Lucas continued to alternate between rubbing her inner walls and teasing her clitoris, determined to get her to reach her breaking point.

"Lucas, I'm close."

He kept going, his fingers were burning from exhaustion, but he was determined to get Max to reach her climax before he stopped. Her breath continued to become more and more rapid and shallow. And then, finally, the breaking point was reached and she exploded.

"Oh, _fuck, _Lucas, shit!" she hummed, and then pulled his face in to kiss him hard, to thank him for granting her that spectacular release. She broke away; it was not a long kiss, and then looked at him. "That was amazing."

"I'm glad," Lucas smiled at her. And with a laugh, he added, "if I'm honest, I didn't really know what I was doing at first."

"Well, you did very good," she replied with a sweet smile on her face. And she brought him into a loving hug. They spent the rest of the afternoon lying on top of her bedsheets, and enjoying each other's presence.

And for the first time in four days, Max was fully and completely happy.


	10. Chapter 10

Max had received a phone call from her Mom in California, telling her that their flight back home was delayed. Rather than arriving on the current day, the eighth of July, they would be coming on the morning of the ninth. Max had no problem with this; it meant she could enjoy a couple more hours without living in the hell that would surely arise when they returned. And she could spend more time freely with Lucas in her house, which was an opportunity that did not arise often at all.

The two of them had a relaxed rest of their afternoon and evening. They had gone for a walk in the woods and even swam at the quarry with one another, and had gone back to their house and had made a rudimentary dinner of Kraft Dinner.

And after a movie and a little bit of fooling around, they had gone to sleep, the two of them in Max's bed.

Lucas was in the middle of a very pleasant dream; he was hanging out with all the guys, and they were all in Mike's basement. They were doing regular guy shit; watching movies, talking about girls, eating junk food. But in his dream, a sudden banging started echoing off the walls of the basement. Then a voice started calling out; _"Max! Max! Max!" _

"MAX!?" Lucas's eyes shot open and he sprang out of the bed, only wearing his boxers and the shirt he had been wearing last night. The calling for Max's name continued before he heard another voice. "Oh, for God's sake, Neil, I have the key, calm down…"

Lucas's heart dropped. Her parents were home, and he was still here. He heard the door being unlocked, and realizing that he did not have a moment to spare, he sprung into action. He jolted Max awake by violently shaking her shoulder. He stirred. "Jesus, Lucas, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Your parents are home!" he hissed. "Keep your voice down!"

"Oh, _fuck_!"

He ran to the other side of his room and grabbed his clothes and bag. "I'm leaving, out the window. Don't tell them I was here."

"No shit, dumbass," Max said sarcastically. Lucas didn't take the rude comment to heart; she was not a morning person at all, and it didn't help that her parents were currently standing under the same roof as he was.

"Okay, bye. Good luck," Lucas whispered, before flinging himself out of the open window, and taking off across the lawn in only his sleepwear.

Max watched the rather comical sight of her boyfriend running through the grass and along the street wearing his boxers, but it was early morning on Sunday, and the streets were dead. No one was going to be out to see him. As soon as he disappeared from sight, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. "Max? Sweetie, are you still in bed?"

It was her Mom. "No, Mom, I just woke up," she replied. The door opened, and her Mom stepped in quickly and gave her daughter a hug. "Oh, sweetie, it's so good to see you, I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, Mom," she replied, squeezing her Mother tight in her arms. As much as she enjoyed the period of time with unlimited freedom when her parents were gone, she was certainly glad to have her Mom back. That would also mean proper food again.

"Where's Neil?" Max asked once they had separated from their embrace.

"I think he's checking the mail, he'll be in soon." Max's breath caught in her throat when she heard her say that. She braced herself for what was about to come; there was only one thing that he could be looking at from the mail right now.

She heard loud footsteps coming from the front door, and they grew louder and louder as they approached her room. Neil stepped into the room, holding a piece of paper. There was an incredulous look swept across his face like he was looking at something he did not understand.

"Neil? What's wrong?" Susan asked. Max felt the tears start to form in the corner of her eyes, and she knew that soon she would be helpless to stop what was going to happen. She decided that it would be best for her to leave the room before anything else happened, because she did NOT want to be here when the shit hit the fan.

"I need to use the bathroom, I'll be right back," she announced, her voice slightly shaky. She stepped up hurriedly leave the room and made toward the bathroom briskly. But then Neil stepped sideways and blocked the doorway. He looked directly at Max, who was not able to meet his eye.

He took a deep breath. "Did you know about this?" he asked her. He did not sound angry. It's not like she anticipated him to be angry; she knew that he would never lay a finger on her because she was not his child, she was his wife's.

"Yes," she whispered, still gazing at the floor.

"How did it happen?"

"Doesn't it say in the letter?"

Like lightning, Neil's hand shot out from where it was position against his side and struck Max across the face. Right on the bruise from Billy hitting her a few days ago, at that. It felt like a cement block crushing her right in her head, and she nearly fell over.

"Don't fucking talk back to me," he said. It was quiet and seemed void of all emotion. It was the same way that he spoke with Billy. It was haunting. "If you use that lip with me again, you'll be getting a lot more than just a fucking slap."

Max started to cry. Not just little tears, or a brewing sadness within her, but it only took a few moments for her to start bawling right in front of her Dad. And she hated herself for it, hated herself so much. She looked over at her Mom, who was standing in the corner of the room, jaw open, paralyzed with fear. And she knew why; besides the obvious that he hurt her daughter, but the fact that never _once _had Neil hit Max. Never.

Neil started to walk out of the room. "What about? Anything from you, whore?" Susan did not reply.

He strode out of the room, leaving Max and her mother together. Horror and shock hung in the air like toxic gas. And at the moment,

Max made a decision.

She was going to run away from home.

So, through the flurry of tears rushing down her face, she pulled herself off the floor. And as soon as she put her weight on her feet, her head started throbbing unbearably. She touched her cheek and felt that it was sticky. She moved her fingers away and saw blood. Neil's watch must have broken the skin. It had stung severely when she had touched it. She bit down on her lip to stop her from whimpering in pain, not wanting to show any ounce of weakness to anyone. Even if it was just her Mom.

"Max?" her mother choked out, barely able to form words. "Max, are you okay?"

She ignored her. Without looking in her direction, she went to the closet and grabbed her backpack, and some clothes. She started putting them in her bag. "Max, what are you doing?"

Still ignoring her, she made for the bathroom to grab some toiletries that she thought she would need. "Max, what are you doing.?"

"I'm getting the fuck out of here," she spat at her. She was absolutely furious with her life right now, and furious with her mom. How the fuck could she have married such a despicable, hateful, evil fucking man? "Fucking anywhere is better than FUCKING here."

"Max, you can't leave. Where are you going to go?" she asked, visibly fighting tears.

"I don't care. I'm leaving."

"So what? You're gonna leave me by myself, here?"

Max turned around, just inches away from your window, about to climb out. And what she broke her heart, but also set it on fire with rage at the same time. Her mom looked like she was about to shatter at any moment. Over her eyes, there was pain written in so many layers she could not believe. She of course loved her Mom, but in the end, it was her fault that this prick asshole was in their lives.

"Yes," she replied, her voice breaking. "Yes, I am."

And she stepped out of the window and ran.

* * *

"What do you think about El living with us?" Jonathan asked Will.

They were currently in the forest, rebuilding castle Byers. Jonathan was hammering a two-by-four into the ground, and Will was salvaging leftover wood from the demolition site. The site of the ruined Castle Byers had nearly made him cry. Thinking back to the night where he had been so blinded with rage and sadness that he had taken it down with a baseball bat. And as soon as Jonathan had heard about had happened, he insisted that they go to rebuild it.

"I think it's a really good idea," Will replied. "But not if we are going to be moving away."

Jonathan chewed the inside of his lip. He recalled the events of the day in his head silently. After they had parked the car and cried for nearly an hour, Jonathan had driven near the forest and parked the car, and they have ventured out to rebuild Castle Byers.

"That's the problem I see," Jonathan said. "If I'm honest, I'm not even that upset that _we're _moving. I can drive probably to visit Nancy, and I can take you with me. But we aren't the ones that are orphaned, and we aren't the ones who have a boyfriend here that literally is our only lifeline. I don't even know the two of them that well, and even I can tell how close Mike and El are."

"It's gonna destroy her," Will confirmed. "I've seen them for the last six months together, they might as well share the same organs. It's gross."

"Hey, it's not gross," Jonathan laughed. "They're really cute. It's nice."

"It's not nice when it means you can't do anything fun. It was really annoying for a while."

"What changed?"

"What?"

Jonathan turned to look directly at his brother. "You said that it _was _really annoying. Is it still annoying?" Will pondered his words. It was true that the last six months for him were agonizing; he had watched El take his best friend completely away from him. But, he did feel that after their exchange a few days ago when Mike apologized, things were going to be different. So even though he had been mad, he was not anymore.

"We talked it out, I guess. He apologized, we reached a compromise and shook hands. It was fine."

Jonathan nodded. "Good. It would be a shame for you and Mike to stop being friends just because one of you has a girlfriend." Will agreed with his brother's sentiment.

They continued to work on the castle, not talking for a little while. "Where do you think we are going to move?" Will asked.

"I'm not sure," Jonathan sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "I hope nowhere too far because then I won't be able to come to visit that often. I still want to be able to see Nancy."

"Well," Will said. "Wherever we go, I just hope El will be okay. Even though I don't like that she took Mike for so long from us, I still care for her a lot. She saved my life."

"She saved all of our lives," Jonathan nodded to Will.

"Do you think we could change Mom's mind?" Will asked.

Jonathan was about to reply to Will when he heard some rustling in the woods behind him, a faint sound that he almost didn't hear. He looked around but did not see anything at that moment. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I did," Will said, looking equally as concerned. His head swiveled on his shoulders trying to pinpoint what had made the sound. Then his question was answered.

"Will?" He whipped around toward the female voice that had said his name.

And it was Max. "Max? What are doing here?"

"I need help," she panted. She had clearly been running for a long time.

"What the hell are you doing way the hell out here?" Jonathan chuckled, approaching her. His face grew more worried when he saw her face. "And what happened to your cheek? Are you okay?"

Max gave him a pained expression. "I'm fine, I just needed to get out of my house. The circumstances were kind of...bad." Will sensed that there was more to this story then Max was openly telling him.

"But why are you out here in the woods? I would have guessed that you would have gone to Lucas's or something."

"I was going to," she replied, still out of breath. "But I was running, and I just went into the woods, and then I got turned around. I couldn't find my way out."

"Why were you running into the woods?"

Max's face seemed to glaze over when Will had asked that question, and he sensed that something bad was going on. "Just some trouble with my parents...is all," Max told him. He was still skeptical.

"I can give you a ride to Lucas's, Max, if you want." Jonathan offered. "I think Will and I were going to start heading back anyway."

"That would be great, thank you," Max said gratefully.

Max had been silent the entire drive to Lucas's. Will nor Jonathan had attempted to make conversation with her and had the right of mind to know not to try to prod her. She seemed very distressed.

They pulled up to the front of Lucas's home. "Thanks for the ride." She got out before Jonathan could even say "You're welcome."

She nearly ran to the front door of Lucas's house but did not want to fully run because

that would have looked like some baby running to her mommy. And she didn't want to look like a baby in front of anyone but Lucas right now. She needed to be with him so bad.

She rapped her knuckles on the door, hoping that she would be greeted by Lucas and not one of his parents. She probably did not look her best right now. She sighed thankfully when Lucas pulled back the wooden door and stood there in the doorway. "Max? What are you doing here? What happened do your face?"

She looked back and saw that Jonathan and Will were still watching, probably making sure that she would get inside okay. "Let's talk inside, please?" Lucas nodded in compliance and stepped sideways to allow her entry. He waved at the Byers brothers and closed the door.

"Why did-?"

Max had already thrown herself around into Lucas, squeezing him relentlessly, still fighting the tears that threatened to break through her eyes. She was not quite sure why she was fighting it; probably because she did not want to look like a _complete _pussy in front of Lucas. "Are your parents home?"

"Uh, no, my Dad's at work and my Mom and sister are out. What's going on Max?" he pressed away, forcing her to meet his concerned eyes.

"My parents came home," she replied, still trying to push down the lump in her beck. "It was... _FUCK!"_

Lucas jumped back at her sudden outburst. "Jesus Christ, Max, just tell me what happened, it's okay. Just calm down."

Max fought with herself, and she managed to bring down her blood pressure, which she almost felt increasing by the second. "And what happened to your face?"

"Take a guess," she spat, moving toward the fridge to get some long-needed ice to put on her face.

Lucas did not like where this was going. He thought that her parents would never do anything to Max, _especially_ her stepdad because she was not even his daughter. But he expected that something bad had happened; and in spite of his previous notion, he had a deep, unsettling feeling that he was wrong. "It was your stepdad, wasn't?"

Max did not meet his eye, nor did she speak. "But why?" he asked.

"I don't fucking know," she cried out, throwing the ice tray on the floor of Lucas's, and bits of ice scattered across the hardwood floor. "I'm not going back to that fucking shithole _again!"_

"Okay, it's fine, you can stay here for as long as you want," Lucas soothed. He almost said _and stop making a mess_ but he fancied the idea of staying alive. "Let me get you some more ice, sit on the couch."

Max nodded, and shuffled over to the living room, her hand covering her bloody cheek. "You should clean that up a little bit, do you want help?" Lucas asked, noticing that her

skin was still cut open and seemed to be bleeding a little bit.

Max had no idea where Lucas kept all the medical stuff in his house. Although she was not really in the mood to be helped and coddled by Lucas right now, she caved. "Yes please."

"Okay, go to the bathroom," he told her, and she obliged. Lucas walked through the door a couple of seconds after she did, and he reached under the sink and got some disinfectant and a cloth. He poured out some of the disinfectant onto the rag and dabbed it on her cheek. Her eyes were glazed over and unfocused, and Lucas could not tell what she was thinking. She was completely zoned out from the world.

When he finished dabbing the wound, he looked at her. "Max? Are you there?"

Silence for a few moments, then she replied. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not like I can just go back there, Lucas. You have no idea what my house is like right now," she said, near the edge of tears. "I told my Mom I was leaving."

"Well, you did leave. I'm confused."

"I meant that I was running away. That's the meaning that I was trying to get across. I don't know if that's the message my Mom got, but…"

Lucas was floored. "Why would you want to run away, Max?! That's insane!"

"How it insane?" Max shot back, her temper flaring immediately. "Do you have any fucking idea what is like being in that room with my Mom and Dad, when they found out that Billy had died? Do you know what it's like being in the same house as that fucking disgusting excuse for a human being? I didn't even fucking know he had any good feelings for Billy, but apparently he did, and now that he's gone he's gonna take all his shit out on me and my Mom, and I don't want to fucking be there for that."

Lucas was taken aback by the hostility that was laced in Max's words. He immediately felt bad for scolding her for running away. "Jesus Christ, Max, I'm so sorry, I didn't...I didn't know it was that bad."

"_Look at me!" _she yelled, pointing at her face. "You see this bloody gash?! You see the bump right underneath it?! Do you also see the tears coming out of my eyes right now!? God FUCKING DAMNIT!" she screamed and stormed out of the bathroom pushing Lucas out of the way.

"Where are you going?" he called out in exasperation.

"Well, nowhere outside this house!" she yelled back sarcastically. "What am I gonna do? Go back to my house?"

"No, I don't want to go back to your house, you can stay here for as long as you want-"

"So why are you treating me like this?" she interrupted him, practically flaming with anger and frustration.

"Like what?" Lucas asked, becoming increasingly frustrated at Max's seemingly radical behavior.

"Like I'm retarded or something for running away from my house! The first thing you said when I told you was, 'you ran away?' Like I was stupid for doing it, or something!"

"Well, of course, I was a little bit surprised!" Lucas said back, his voice rising although not intentionally. "That was kind of a bombshell you dropped!"

"So the fuck what? I would have thought that you would be glad that I'm leaving that place!"

"But are you really leaving for good? Do you actually think this is gonna work out?"

Max was silent for a moment. She considered the words of her boyfriend, even though part of her was honestly considering breaking up with him at this fucking point, with everything that she was feeling right now. But in her heart, she knew he was probably right. This was going to be something that she would try to do at first, but then she would realize that she needed to go home, or the police would get involved, or some other bullshit.

But at least for now, she wasn't going to think about that; right now, she was running away from home, and that was what she was going to tell Lucas, without a hint of a question in her voice.

"It's going to work out. I'll think of something."

Lucas knew she was lying. But he knew that right now, _especially _right now, all she needed was his support. She would come to reason eventually, so... "Alright, alright, just...calm down, okay? I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Max said, returning to a calm state again.

Lucas paused to think. "What are you going to do now?" he asked her, already suspecting her answer.

She looked at her shoes sheepishly. "I was hoping to spend some time here, at least just for a little bit."

"Uh-huh," Lucas said, a smirk crawling itself onto his face quickly. "Of course you can stay here. For as long as I can hide you, at least."

"Hide me? Your parents are fine with me, you don't have to hide me."

"But if you're gonna sleep here, that won't go over well."

"I was actually planning on…" Max trailed off, realizing that she did not have a plan. "Yeah, you need to hide me. Sorry, Stalker."

Lucas laughed. "Let's go to the basement."

Lucas listened carefully to Max as she recalled the exact events that had transpired a couple of hours ago, in painful and angering detail. It made his blood boil to the point where he thought he might explode, knowing what Neil had done to Max and Susan.

"I wish I could fucking kill that fucking piece of shit," he seethed, getting up from the couch to pace back and forth on the carpet floor. "How on Earth could God have created someone like him?"

"Fuck if I know," Max said. At this point, she was past tears of frustration. All she could feel was a deep pit of hatred for just a singular person burrowing itself into her insides like a parasite. "Can we talk about something else? I need to get my mind off this."

"Okay, sure," Lucas replied, feeling bad that he had let his temper get away for him for a moment. He stopped his pacing to look at her. "What do you wanna do?"

"Just...come here and lay with me," she responded, stretching her arms out a little bit like some kind of baby animal toward its mother.

"Okay."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! I'd just like to take a second to thank you guys for your follows and ****favorite**** and reviews, I really appreciate them. I'm going to start replying to the reviews. The more feedback I get, the more motivated I am to write, so all the support is appreciated. I have no plans to stop any time soon, and I have plans working for many chapters in the future. Just let me know what you guys think, I love hearing your opinions and criticisms.**

**I only got one review last chapter:**

**Bruh: Don't worry, I plan to shift focus really soon. I really liked this Max / Lucas storyline, but in the coming chapters there's gonna be a lot of Mileven. That's what most people like :)**

It was July 9th in Hawkins, eleven o'clock in the evening. Max was currently spending the night with Lucas, unknowing to Lucas's parents, or hers. Jonathan and Nancy were together in Jonathan's room, getting down to business. Will was sleeping, after tossing and turning for a long time, thinking about the possibility of Hopper being alive. He was still questioning Mike's decision.

Joyce was sitting in the living room, drinking alone. She had tried to exchange some words with her sons, but with no success. So she had let them go and told herself that she would try to talk to them in the morning when they all had clear heads.

And El was sitting on the couch, alone, in Mike's basement. She was going to be spending the night alone; Mike's parents were growing suspicious about Mike sleeping in the basement all the time. So he had told El that for just this night, he was going to sleep in his own bedroom, upstairs. And for once, El was okay with that; that meant she finally had a chance to read through the magazines that Max had given to her.

So she had settled down, the stack of magazines beside her on the right, a bag of chips on the left. And on the table near the couch was a small reading light illuminated the room in a warm, majestic glow. She turned the first page of the first magazine. And taking a deep breath, she began to read.

Susan was sitting in the armchair in the living room of her house. Neil was in the bedroom. And there was no way in hell that she was going to sleep with him tonight; not after what had happened. It was late, and her mind was still whirling, not knowing what to do.

Her daughter had run away. Her husband was in their bedroom, stirring, probably thinking about Billy. Neil had struck her own daughter, and he probably would have been hit too, _if_ she had said something.

She had to admit that although he was her stepson, Susan was not entirely broken about the loss. A connection had never formed between them; to Susan, Billy always felt like a stranger to her in the household. But obviously, even though it seemed to her like he just served as a means for Neil to let his temper out, Billy had meant more to him than met the eye. Or at least that was what she was lead to assume. And this whole situation was tearing her family apart mercilessly.

And she didn't know how to stop it.

The following morning, Joyce awoke with a goal in her mind. A goal that she would not shy away from, and a goal that she was determined to complete before the end of the day. She was going to have a proper discussion with both her sons about the idea of moving, and she was going to do it well; she was going to convince them that this was the best thing that she could do for them, herself, and the family as a whole, even for El.

She dragged herself out from under the sheets and shuffled to the kitchen to make some breakfast. She figured she would make something nice for Jonathan and Will, and maybe put them in a better mood before she tried to talk to them. She was shocked when she came out of the hallway and saw both of them seated at the dining table, with bowls of cereal in front of them. They were both looking at Joyce.

"Uh…" Joyce started. She did not expect this. "Good morning, guys. How'd you sleep?"

Jonathan was poker-faced. "Not well."

"Oh, that's too bad, sweetie," Joyce tried to console him. "Is something on your mind?"

Jonathan laughed dryly. Will was still emotionless. "Yeah, Mom. Yeah, you could say that."

_Shit. _Joyce clenched her eyes shut, knowing that she not have asked if something was wrong. Of course, there was something wrong, for fuck's sake. "Okay, yes, but… did anything else happen since...since yesterday?"

"Have a seat, Mom," instructed Jonathan, motioning toward the third chair at the table. "Will and I have some stuff we want to say to you."

Without speaking, Joyce slowly and cautiously moved to the seat and sat down. She was about to make a move to grab some cereal, but realized that she wasn't feeling all that hungry; quite the opposite, actually. So she folded her hands in front of her and looked at her two sons, eager and nervous to hear what they had to say.

"Will and I think that moving is not in the best interest of anyone in this family, including you," Jonathan started. "For starters, I'm going into my senior year of high school, and that is something I'd really like to do in my hometown, with Nancy."

"And I'm going into high school next year," Will spoke for the first time that morning. "That's something I'd really like to do with my friends, and with Jonathan, at least just for the ninth grade."

"I think it would be best for Will to go through high school here, in Hawkins. With the people who know what he's been through, what we've all been through. What if something happens, and the only people we can talk to about it are ten hours away?"

"But you guys don't even know where we're moving yet," Joyce countered.

"You told me it was far," Jonathan shot back. "What qualifies as 'far' to you, Mom?"

Joyce pondered the question. "I was hoping to stay within a five hours driving distance, at least."

"Five hours? Are you hearing yourself, Mom?" Jonathan's voice was rising. He was becoming angrier; not for his situation, but more El and Will. There was no way he was going to put them through this. No way.

"What if something happens with El? What if something happens in Hawkins, and El is five hours away? What are we gonna do?"

"Nothing is going to happen, sweetie, the gate was closed, and-"

"That's what we said six months ago, and look where we are now."

Joyce cringed at the statement. She did not need to be reminded of what had happened five nights ago. "I know, but El's powers are gone, and she isn't any more help then Mike or Lucas or-"

"She's more of a help here then she is in fucking tin-buck-two with us!" Jonathan yelled.

"Jonathan, calm down-"

"This is insane, Mom! Do you have an idea how-"

"Jonathan!" Will said loudly. It was not a yell; just a loud voice. Jonathan's voice immediately ceased. "You need to calm down. We wanted to talk to Mom, not just yell at her."

Jonathan looked embarrassed. "Okay, yeah... yeah, sorry." He licked his lips and eased back into his chair, which he had at some point stood up from.

"Mom, all we're saying is, for us, and especially El..._especially-"_ he enunciated that word strongly. "-El, we think that it's… it's best that we stay here. At least until we're out of high school."

"That's four years from now, Will. Maybe, even more, depending on when we move," Joyce pointed out.

"What's so wrong about that?" her younger son replied. "Why can't we stay here for four more years? What's the rush?"

Joyce massaged her temples. Her patience and motivation to hold this conversation was dwindling. "Guys," she said, still holding her fingers to the side of her head. "I...cannot live in this town anymore. Silence. She continued. "This house is falling apart, and with El moving in, we'd literally have nowhere to put her."

"Me and Jonathan could share a room," Will suggested. Jonathan nodded his head, although he knew that he would be kissing any sleeping with Nancy in their house away. But for this cause, it was worth it.

"Will, Jonathan is almost eighteen, he needs his own room to sleep in. And your rooms aren't big enough for two people. On top of that, I'm probably gonna lose my job soon. We're almost the only store left in downtown, and every day we are having a new sale. What happens when I get laid off?"

Jonathan and Will were quiet. They knew she was right about this. "I can't provide for three kids on the money I'm making right now, let alone if I downright lose the job."

"I can help. I've been helping since I was fifteen, Mom," Jonathan said. He was grasping at straws now, and he could tell his Mom knew her was too.

"Jonathan, you need to be focusing on school. You're going to college soon. You can't be working overtime every night to uphold a responsibility that isn't yours."

They seemed to have reached an impasse. Every point that they had made so far had been logically countered by Joyce. "But Mom," Will said quietly. "What about El?"

Joyce's eyes betrayed her feelings toward this. Pity, anguish and hurt spread across her face. "I know that this is going to be hard for her, but-"

"Mom, it's going to destroy her."

Joyce felt herself starting to tear up, especially when she saw Will doing the same. "Do you think this is what Hopper would want for...for his daughter? For us to drag her away from the only family she ever had? From me and Dustin and Lucas? From Max? From _Mike_?"

"I know it's hard to accept, but…" Joyce paused. "I think that if Hopper is watching over me right now, I think he would want El to grow up in a place where she can have support from as many people as possible, in as safe a place as possible. Hawkins… I don't think that Hawkins is safe anymore."

"So we're just going to leave the others?"

"We'll be within driving distance, like I said," Joyce said sharply.

Jonathan and Will eyed their Mom. "I'm done with this conversation," she said. She needed to place her foot down here, and she knew it. "We can come here once a month if you like. They can come to our new house for a few nights. They can stay the entire Thanksgiving weekend with us, if they are allowed. But I am still your mother, and as your mother, I am in charge of your lives. And what I think is the best thing for us to do is to move to a new house to a new town, get a fresh start, and try to heal. This is for all of us."

She stood up. "Do I make myself clear?" Her tone was gentle and nice, yet firm. Joyce was an expert at using that tone. Will nodded.

"Yes," Jonathan replied, meeting her eyes.

"Good," she said. "In the meantime, I want to invite El to live with us. I want you boys to go the Wheeler's house today, and talk to both of them."

* * *

Mike walked down the stairs of his basement and saw El on the couch, reading a book. He couldn't tell exactly what she was reading. As he came closer, he realized that it was a magazine. "What are you reading?"

El jumped out of her sitting position on the couch. "Oh, my God," she gasped. "Mike, you scared me!"

"Oh, shit, sorry, El. I didn't mean to, I just came down the stairs and-"

"No, it's okay Mike, don't worry. I'm… I'm fine. I was just reading…" her eyes flitted to the floor. "I was reading some magazines that Max lent me."

"Oh, cool," he said, already losing interest. He figured they were probably some girly things with makeup and stuff like that.

His attention turned to something else in the room, but El didn't see nor care what it was. She took advantage of the opportunity and snatched up all the cosmo magazines and put them back in the bag, which she threw under a blanket in the corner of the room.

"How'd you sleep?" El asked.

Mike's attention returned to El. "Eh...not so great."

El's face became concerned. "Why?"

"I wasn't down here with you," he said with a smile. El grinned and moved toward him. She stood up on her tippy toes and pecked him on the lips, then hugged him.

"Thank you for letting me stay here for so long," she said, her face buried into his shoulder.

"It hasn't been that long," Mike said, rolling his eyes.

"It's been five nights, Mike."

Mike pulled out of the hug but kept his hands on her shoulders. "Really? That many?"

"Yes," she replied, with a light laugh. "I counted."

"Wow," he said. "It hasn't… it hasn't felt like that long."

"Mm-hm," El murmured, settling back into the hug, which Mike returned. They stayed like that in the middle of the room, wrapped in a tight embrace that neither wanted to break.

El's mind drifted to an article she had read in one of the magazines. She had read only read one of them and half of another, but she had already gained a decent amount of knowledge, at least she hoped so. She wasn't sure how much there was to learn. There were a lot of magazines... she had no idea that this sex stuff was so in depth.

A lot of the things she had read in it seemed slightly… strange. She didn't dislike the idea of doing anything that she read, but she just felt that she wasn't quite ready. And she was afraid of what Mike would do if she did something that he didn't like.

But she had read some stuff about kissing, which was something that they already did regularly. So she was eager to try to apply some of her newfound knowledge. She shuffled her feet so that Mike's back was to the couch, and she moved forward suddenly and pushed him over onto the couch.

Mike was surprised, but pleasantly so. "El, what are you-"

Before Mike could finish the question, El had closed the gap between them and had gently moved his body to a lying position. Mike stopped talking, and now was anticipating what was coming next. Now that he was lying on his back lengthwise across the couch, El lay on top of him, so that he was bearing her full weight on his body.

And she moved her mouth to his, and then they were kissing. Dopamine exploded through El's brain, the feeling of being so close to the boy she loved putting her in a sort of trance. She tangled one hand his hair and she rested the other on his chest. She moved her head ever so slightly in a sort of up and down motion, increasing the friction and sensation of her lips on his. It was amazing.

She opened her mouth ever so slightly and grabbed Mike's bottom lip in hers and gently sucked and nibbled it, and when Mike gave a sigh into her mouth, she knew she was on the right track. She felt Mike's lips part slightly as well, and his tongue drew a gentle line across her lips, asking for permission to enter.

Eager to comply, El let her tongue slide out and they met in the middle, and a flurry of sparks seemed to radiate from the where they touched and flew through both their bodies. She pulled her head away from Mike's face and moved her attention toward his neck. She remembered reading about it, and she remembered when Mike did it to her, and it had felt so good. She wanted to return the favor.

She latched her lips onto the skin and tangled both her hands into his mound of hair. Running her fingers through it she continued to apply a light and loving suction on the skin, mixed with gentle strokes of her tongue. Mike let out a faint grunt of pleasure and started to run his hands up and down El's back.

"Jesus, El…" he breathed. El smiled and shifted her focus to another place on his neck closer to his jawline. He suddenly felt one of Mike's large hands find a resting point on her ass. As soon as his hands touched it, faint chills ran up her body. She moaned at the sensation, but did not break away from Mike's skin.

Realizing that El was enjoying what he was doing, he gave a light squeeze. "Yes, Mike…"

He could feel his confidence growing, and wanted to make a bolder move. The testosterone was imparing his judgement, for better or for worse. He was about to slide his fingers under the waistband of her pants, but the moment was ruined when his Mom yelled down the stairs at him. "MIKE!"

El sat up, still straddling Mike's hips. "WHAT?" Mike called back up the stairs.

"WILL IS HERE!" Mike was incredulous. What was Will doing here? And by himself? He had never told him that he was coming… that meant something was probably wrong.

"Okay, let's see what he wants," Mike grumbled. He knew that he had promised Will that he would be fairer toward his other friends and not prioritize El so much over them, but he was incredibly pissed off that they had been interrupted. Who knows where the would have gone if her Mom's shriek hadn't broken them up. "Stay down here, my Mom is still upstairs."

El nodded, and Mike made his way up the creaky wooden stairs. He turned toward the door, and saw Will standing just inside the doorway. "Hey, Will, what's up?"

Will was quiet for a second as if processing what he had asked. "My, uh… my Mom wants you and El to come back to our house with us," he said. "She wants to talk to you guys about… something."

"What is it? Is something wrong?'

"No, no," Will said. The family had collectively determined that they were not going to tell El that they were moving out of Hawkins; that would be a bridge to cross later. Right now the only concern was getting El to come live with them. Not that they thought it would be difficult. Everyone involved knew that El couldn't live in Mike's basement for the rest of her life.

"So nothing is wrong?" Mike said, still a little bit concerned.

"No, nothing is wrong. Can you just get El and we'll meet you guys around back? My brother is waiting in the car."

"Okay."

**Thanks for reading guys! Review please, I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can, but the more reviews the quicker it'll come. And drop a follow if you're enjoying, this story is not stopping any time soon. **


	12. Chapter 12

**_Hey guys! I'd like to thank everyone who left reviews last chapter, your kinds words are much appreciated. I got this chapter out as quick as I could, and it's entirely Mike and El, so I hope you'll like that. In the meantime, make sure to let me know what you think, the more feedback I get the harder I'll try to get the next chapter out. I already have it planned out._**

**Ang: I hope you'll like this chapter, then :) **

**Harley Grove: We have to get some of Will cock-blocking Mike, don't we? haha**

**El Henderson: Thanks for the compliments! I'm glad you enjoy Lumax too.**

**grievesforyou: Thank you so much, it means a lot!**

Jonathan drove up the driveway toward his house, his brother in the passenger seat beside him. In the backseat sat Mike and El. He noticed that they were holding hands, and they had been since they stepped in the car. He internally sighed, knowing that in due time, they were going to have to tell her that they were leaving from Hawkins, and taking her with them.

"Alright, guys, we're here," he announced, opening the car door and stepping out. The rest of the gang hopped out of the vehicle after him and walked toward the front door. Jonathan opened it without knocking and held the door open for them as they walked into the living room. Their shoes were kicked off and thrown by the door carelessly, in typical teenage fashion.

Joyce greeted them when she walked around the corner. "Hey guys."

"Hi, Mrs. Byers," Mike replied politely. El gave a shy wave and smile, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Hi, El," Joyce said, approaching her slowly. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," she said quietly. "Mike helps me."

"I know he does," Joyce replied, smiling at Mike for a brief moment. "Anyway, there's something that I'd like to talk to you guys about. It's really important."

Mike instantly felt a little bit nervous. Joyce probably wanted to talk to them about their current "living arrangements." While he understood that it was not possible for El to live in his basement for the rest of her life, he still was upset that the time for it was coming to an end. He had loved every second of living with her, even the times when she was crying or mad or sad or whatever. He just wanted to be with her. Regardless, he sincerely hoped that whatever Joyce had planned, that it would make El happy.

They all walked to the living area and sat down. Everyone was looking at El, and it was making her slightly uncomfortable. Shifting a little bit in her sitting position, she reached across the couch she was sitting on and grabbed Mike's hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back.

"So, El," Joyce began. "We know that you've been living with Mike for the past few nights."

El nodded. "Yes."

"And how has that been?"

El glanced over at Mike, and then back at Joyce. "It's been good."

Joyce pursed her lips and folded her hands together. "Well, the thing is… you can't live with Mike forever. We have to think about school, and Mike's parents and living situation, and the future for all of us."

El was quiet, still holding her gaze at Joyce. "How would you like living with me and the boys?"

Mike was expecting this question to come up. He knew that it was just a matter of time before Joyce made this gesture. What else would she have done? He knew that there was a place in her heart for El, a place that was made the day she stepped into that kiddie pool and found Will. And now Joyce had the chance to finally give something back to her; a new home. As soon as he found out that Hopper had died he knew that the person next in line to take care of her was Joyce.

"You want me to come live with you and… and Will and Jonathan?"

"Yes, we do," Joyce replied confidently. "Right, guys?"

Will and Jonathan both nodded, but something was wrong. Yes, something seemed off about them, for sure… like they knew something that they didn't. Was Joyce hiding something? And did Will and Jonathan know about it? "Does she even have an alternative?" Mike asked. It wasn't fair for El to not know what all of her choices were.

Joyce was caught off guard, not expecting Mike to be the one to suggest an alternative. This was El's best option by far. "Well… I guess if El really wanted to, we could send her to her Aunt's," she suggested. "Other than that, foster care is really the only alternative, but I don't think I'd let that happen."

"Okay," Mike said. "El, what do you think?"

El thought about the question. She loved the idea of living with Mike, but she understood what Joyce was saying; thinking in terms of the big picture, living in a basement just wasn't in the cards. She and Hopper had been talking about school, and she had been studying for the past six months with Hopper's cabin with his help. The plan was to enroll in school with the rest of the Party when they started grade nine in September. She also knew that having _Mike's_ parents as _her_ parents would not be a good idea at all, for a lot of reasons.

"Yes, I would like that," El smiled, looking around the room at everyone. "Thank you."

Joyce smiled and clapped her hands together. "Awesome. We've already figured out the living arrangements. Jonathan and Will were going to share Will's room, and maybe you could take Jonathan's old room?"

El nodded. The idea of having a larger room than the one in the cabin was appealing to her. A larger bed, larger closet for more clothes (which she had recently taken a liking to, thanks to Max), more space for her things. "Yes please, thank you," she said gratefully.

"We can start moving things from the cabin into the new room tomorrow if you guys want," she suggested. "It will probably have to be a group effort."

"I'm okay with that, I have nothing else to do," Mike said. "And we can have the rest of the party come over as well, and they'd definitely help too."

El smiled, already looking forward to the move. And living with the Byers really excited her; it would never replace Hopper, but having a real family to live with sounded promising.

"Maybe El and I can go over there and sort through some things? So we don't have to waste time tomorrow?" Mike piped up. He was really eager to spend as much time as possible with El before the relocated from his house.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Joyce smiled at him. "What do you think, El?"

El nodded shyly. Despite the fact that she had returned to the group over half a year ago, she had yet to really develop any _real_ relationship with Joyce. Even with Will she had not really quite connected with yet; Will was nearly as shy and quiet as she was, even with the rest of the party. Maybe that would change in the future. But right now, having a full conversation with Joyce was making her feel slightly uncomfortable. But she knew Joyce well enough and was confident that she would do a great job taking care of her.

"Okay," Mike said. "Me and El can bike there from my house."

"Are you sure? We can give you a ride," Jonathan offered.

Mike looked to El. "Do you want to get a ride?" he asked, to which El gently shook her

head.

"Okay, we'll head out then. Thanks, Mrs. Byers," Mike got up from his seat and started to walk in the door. El followed.

"Wait, hold on," Joyce stood up and took a step toward them, holding a hand up. "When you guys are done, bring El back here. She can sleep in my bed, I'll take the couch."

Mike was about to object, wanting to spend just _one_ more night will the girl he loved, but El beat him to the chase. "Is it okay if I sleep with Mike for one more night?" she questioned timidly, barely meeting Joyce's eyes.

Joyce opened her mouth but didn't speak. She closed it and exhaled. Mike felt a little bit awkward, kind of cringing at El's choice of words. She made it sound like they were having sex or something, and that definitely was NOT what the were doing. And Mike did not want El's new "mother" to get the wrong idea before she even officially adopted her. He needed to make that idea evidently clear for Joyce.

"We aren't actually… like… _sleeping, _sleeping together, just sleeping. Not sleeping, but, uh-" Mike stuttered.

"Yes, we are sleeping together. On the couch," El said, clearly not understanding the euphemism. Miked turned to Joyce with pleading eyes, begging her to understand that they weren't actually having sex yet, and she seemed to understand.

"Okay, fine, one more night," she caved. "But just remember that you better be careful with Mike's parents. If you guys hadn't already been staying there for five nights, I wouldn't allow this."

El beamed, and it was the first time Joyce had seen El genuinely smile since Starcourt. She had a beautiful smile, and she found it contagious because then she was smiling too. "Alright, you two. Take care."

"Thanks, Mrs. Byers," Mike said, and El waved goodbye and they stepped out the door, closing it behind them.

They had been walking in comfortable silence for about twenty minutes. They were coming close to the cabin where El's old home was, and Mike was feeling very apprehensive about it.

He wanted to come here to help El sort through her things, so she could decide what she wanted to bring back with her to Joyce's house. But he was worried that going into the cabin would be hard for her; she had endured in a lot of trauma that night; they all had. And the last thing that El needed was to get some kind of panic attack at just the sight of the cabin. And with each passing moment, as they drew closer to the old wooden house, he found himself getting more and more anxious for El. What if something happened? A panic attack or something? Was this a good idea?

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, sneaking a glance in her direction.

El hesitated for a few moments. "Okay, I guess," she replied. "Kind of… nervous."

"Why are you nervous?"

"I don't know," she said, confusion written on her face. "What if there is something there?"

"In the cabin?"

"Yes."

"There's nothing in there, El," Mike assured her. He stopped walking and grabbed her hand. "The gate was closed, so that means everything is gone. But if you don't want to come here, we don't have to."

El searched her boyfriend's face and found that as she looked at it, she grew less afraid of going into the cabin. If Mike was with her, it would be okay. She'd be okay.

"No, it's fine. I want to go," she said, nodding her head confidently. "I just want you to be with me."

"I'll be with you the whole time, El," he responded and pulled her in to hug her. El clung onto him as well, her hands rubbing his shoulder blades. His scent comforted her in a way nothing else did. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

They parted and continued on the walk, and soon the cabin came into view. El inhaled sharply. "Are you sure about this?" she heard Mike ask for the second time. She smiled, finding his concern for her cute and endearing. After giving a curt nod of her head in reply, she kept going. She heard Mike's footsteps behind her, and knowing that he was following, she kept walking on, head held high.

Before she knew it, she was standing on the rickety porch of the old house. The door was already part of the way open; thank goodness for that, because if it had been locked she would not have been able to use her powers to open it. She put her hand on the door handle and pushed, stepping inside.

Her heart skipped a beat when she looked around. Seeing her home like this was… heartbreaking. The wooden flooring and rugs that had been set down when they moved were covered in bloodstains; from who, she did not know, but she assumed most of it was from her. There was a gaping hole in the ceiling, below which were several splinters of wood and debris that had fallen on the floor. In the walls, there were two more smaller holes that had been bashed in by the Mindflayer's tentacles. The pots and pans and silverware in the kitchen was almost entirely knocked on the floor and shattered. It looked like a bomb had gone off right in the middle of the living room, and it had completely blown up the location where the only good part of her life had taken place.

El felt her emotions start to take over as she walked deeper into the cabin, whilst still processing all the damage that had been done. And with each new detail she took in, each crack in the wall, each shattered window, each broken item, she felt another fissure open up in her heart.

And then suddenly she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind her. Upon realizing they were Mike's she leaned her back up against him and took a shaky breath in and squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you want to leave?" Mike asked softly in her ear.

She shook her head. "No, I want to see my room."

She unwillingly eased herself out of Mike's embrace and padded her way through the middle of the room and toward the door of her bedroom. This door was closed, but not locked. She put her hand on the doorknob, but could not bring herself to open it.

"We'll go in together, okay?" Mike told her. He grabbed her other hand with his and placed his other hand on the doorknob over hers. "Ready?"

"Ready."

And they turned the doorknob simultaneously and stepped into the room. El breathed a

deep sigh of relief. Despite the condition of the living room, her room remained almost completely unscathed. All of her drawings and photos and books and music and radio were still there, calling to her. Her limited collection of clothes that had recently expanded was hanging in the open closet in the corner. Her bed was messy and the sheets were thrown about. And all of it put together gave her an overwhelming sense of comfort. A sense of home. But she knew beyond the door she had just walked through, things were much different. But for now, she was in her room. Looking at it made her happy. Her eyes fell on the photos on the shelf in front of her.

A smile broke out across her face and she felt tears start to form. She couldn't actually tell if they were tears of sadness from her home being destroyed or tears of joy from the fact that all of her personal belongings had somehow been preserved. Perhaps it was a combination of both.

"El, is everything okay?" Mike asked when he saw her start to cry. She turned around and hugged him tightly, standing on her tiptoes so she could wrap her arms around his neck.

"Yes," she whispered. "I'm happy that all of my things are still here."

Mike grinned deeply. It brought him so much pleasure to know that for the first time in nearly a week, the girl he loved seemed to be genuinely happy. "I'm happy about that too," he murmured, absentmindedly stroking his fingers through her beautiful hair. "Although, I wouldn't have been so upset if that picture of me in the Ghostbusters costume was broken."

"Hey!" El gasped, pulling out of the hug immediately. "That's my second favorite photo of you!"

"Yeah, well, it's my _least _favorite photo of me," he said laughing. She laughed back at him and went to grab the frame.

"How can you not like it?" she asked incredulously. "Look how cute you were."

Mike faked vomiting. "I look stupid. God, I remember being the only person in school to dress up that Halloween."

"Really? You never told me that," El said.

"Yeah, probably 'cause I was too embarrassed. It was awful."

El smiled playfully, and walked along the rest of her dresser, dragging her fingertips along

the edge of the wooden piece of furniture. She admired the other items on the shelf. Her eyes fell on a photo of the two of them at the snowball, which had been taken by Jonathan. It was beautiful; she was all done up in her makeup and her curly hair had been styled, and she was wearing that beautiful dress. And Mike looked so handsome in that suit, with his hair combed, and he had smelled _so_ good that night.

"This is my first favorite photo, by the way," she said quietly, almost only to herself. Mike walked beside her and eyed the photo.

"Nah, I think _this _is my favorite one," he said, holding back laughter. He pointed to a piece of paper taped on the wall that was a drawing of him, done by El.

El squealed in embarrassment. "Oh, my God, why do I still have that up?" she cried, covering her eyes with her hands, but she could not hide the smile tugging at her lips.

"You have it up because I like it," Mike replied. "But I'm kidding. That's my favorite photo of you, too."

"Photo of _us,_" she corrected.

"Yeah, photo of us."

They stood beside each other, admiring the framed photograph for a long amount of time. Mike reached over and plucked the mixtape off the desk. "Do you remember when I gave you this?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied. "Valentine's Day."

"I asked Jonathan to help me make it," he said. "I had never really talked to Jonathan one on one before. I wish I had an older brother like him."

"What about Nancy?"

"Eh," Mike scrunched his face. "I love Nancy, you know, but… I still think it would be cooler to have an older _brother_."

Eh nodded, and took the mix-tape from Mike's hand. "What are you doing?" he asked with a chuckle.

"You'll see," she replied teasingly. She popped open her radio and put the tape in. Her finger pressed the play button, and after a few seconds, the first song started to play out through the room. _Never Surrender _by Corey Hart.

"I heard this song on the car radio, and I immediately thought of you," Mike explained. He would never tell his friends, but ever since he had El back in his life he found that he really liked this "lovey-dovey" music, as he called it. It made him think of El, and he had decided to put all of his favorite ones together in a mix-tape and give it to her. Turns out, it had been a really good idea.

El sat down on her bed, where the sheets were still rustled and in a mess. "Come here," she instructed.

"Yes, ma'am," Mike replied and did a mock salute. She laughed. Mike's humor, although sometimes strange and a little bit awkward, never failed to amuse her. He took a single step before El got up herself and met him halfway, and tilted her head upward and pulled his head down to hers.

In a moment of pure bliss for both of them, their lips met. Then separated, and quickly met again, repeatedly exchanging quick pecks, and each one grew longer and more passionate until the reached a point where they were no longer separating, but were rather locked together in a passionate bond.

El's hands found Mike's shoulders and pulled him down with her as she lay down in bed, her head connecting with the pillow. Being careful not to crush her, he laid onto his girlfriend, placing some of his weight on his knees and right elbow that was placed just beside her. But El had other ideas, and set her palms flat on his upper back and pulled him in closer so that no part of her body was not being touched by his.

The feeling of being so close to her made Mike's mind foggy, and he started to feel the sensation of arousal growing in his crotch. He was about to pull away, not wanting to confuse of hurt El, but he was pleasantly shocked when El curled her fingers into his hair and started to gently move her hips upward to meet his lower body. Then she lowered them. Then raised them. Lowered them. Raised. Lowered.

The repetition of the movement drove him crazy, and soon he found himself meeting her, their lower bodies connecting over and over again, and with each connection, endorphins exploded from his head and into the rest of his body. He was actually doing this. He was full-on grinding her, and he was loving it.

Meanwhile, El felt like she was in true heaven. To be in this moment with Mike, being so intimate with him without having to worry about being interrupted was something that she only dreamed about. And being here, now, experiencing this with him for the first time was nothing short of glorious.

Her thoughts went to one of the magazines she had read about some of the things people could do together. She had been eager to try some of those things, but now that she found herself in the moment, and despite her mind being clouded by her hormones, she still found herself second-guessing herself. What if she did something wrong? What if Mike didn't like something? What if she didn't like something? She also remembered reading that most of these things were to be done at an older age, and she was still only fourteen. Perhaps those things were better to wait for.

But that didn't mean she couldn't just have a great make-out session with her boyfriend.

She rolled over so that she was now on top of him, and she attacked his neck. She sucked and licked the skin lovingly and thoroughly. All while continuing to rhythmically drive her hips into his over and over again. The moans escaping Mike's lips drove her on, as she slowly moved her lips along his neck, going from the right side, then to the middle under his chin, and his left side.

Her mouth went back onto Mike's, whose lips had parted and allowed her tongue access into his mouth. His tongue snaked out and met hers, and they danced together as one. After a few more minutes, El rolled onto the bed beside Mike, and stared at the ceiling,

"That was nice," she said, almost giddy from what had just transpired.

"Yeah, it was," Mike replied, equally stunned.

El cuddled up beside him, resting her head on his chest, and he placed his arm around

her shoulders. And to the sound of the music playing in the background softly, they lay there together for the rest of the day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Welcome back everyone! Sorry about the wait for this chapter, I hope you guys like it. Next chapter is going to be Mileven centered, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, enjoy chapter 13, and thank you all so much for your reviews and support!**

**39ClueStrangerThingsFan-Star: It is a good song, I enjoy it a lot!**

**Harley Grove: It's all we ever wanted, haha**

**Stranger Records: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this one too! **

**Bruh: It will be a hard chapter to write... I plan on doing it later though, toward the end of the summer. I will get to though. At some point XD**

Max awoke slowly in a confused daze. She looked around, not knowing where she was for a fraction of a second, and then remembered that she was once again not in her house, but in Lucas's. She recalled the reason that she was here in the first place; her stepdad.

Her face contorted at the thought of him. She realized that her Mom was alone with him at the moment, and she felt a pang of guilt for leaving her there alone, and considered going back. But her fear and hatred of Neil got the better of her and she decided that for now, it was best to stay here.

She glanced to her left, where she saw Lucas sleeping beside her, on the air mattress that he had blown up last night. His eyes were closed and his mouth was gaping open, and he snored quietly. A grin tugged at her lips, despite the situation she was in with her parents. It brought her comfort to know that, whatever happened, Lucas would be there for her the whole time. _I don't deserve him at all, _she thought.

As subtly and quietly as possible, she got out from under the sheets and went to the bathroom. When she came back out after she was done, she saw that Lucas was now awake, and he was lying in bed with his hands folded behind his head, his elbows out.

"Morning, Stalker," she greeted him.

Lucas yawned. "Hi," he replied. "Sleep well?"

"Good enough."

"How does your cheek feel?"

Max brushed her fingers along the cut on her face, vividly remembering Neil's hand connecting with her face in that spot. "It's feeling better. Still stings when I touch it, though."

"Maybe you'll get a scar. That would be pretty cool," Lucas smiled.

"Ew, no," she said, disgusted by the notion. "What's with boys and scars? Face scars are even more terrible."

"Scars are bad-ass. Ask anyone," Lucas said matter-of-factly.

"Uh-huh," she sighed in exasperation. _Boys. _

"So what's the plan for today?" Lucas questioned.

"I don't even know," Max said. Her mind was still flooded with what had happened with her parents, and Billy; everything seemed like a blur. The only thing holding her together and keeping life somewhat in focus was her boyfriend.

At times when she was feeling upset, she found that she was past the point of crying; she had done that so much lately. But she felt like she had somehow reached her limit like she was just empty. Whether that was good or bad, she did not know. Every time she thought of Billy, she almost felt like crying but never did. It was confusing and upsetting.

But perhaps she was just moving along with the grieving process. There is only so many tears one person can shed.

"Maybe we can hang out with the rest of the party today?" she suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea, actually."

"Come in, Mike," the Super Com crackled to life and El's eyes shot open. They were in Mike's basement. They had considered spending the night in the cabin, but they didn't want to chance it; they were in a dingy house in the middle of the woods with holes in the walls. It was supposed to have been pretty cool that night, so they had decided to go back to Mike's house for the night. They had pleasant sleep on the pull-out, and now, it appeared that someone was trying to get in contact with her boyfriend.

"Come in, Mike," the Super Com repeated again. El reached out her hand to use her powers to draw it toward her, but then remembered that her powers were gone. She cursed to herself and heaved herself out of the makeshift bed.

She recognized that voice to be Lucas's, so when she spoke into the Super Com she addressed him appropriately. "Lucas, it's El. Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm good. Are you with Mike?"

She looked over at his peaceful and sleeping figure. "Yes, he's here. He's sleeping, though."

"Oh, shit, did I wake you up?"

El flicked her eyes to the clock and read that it was nearly eleven. It was late enough, and she did not want to make Lucas feel bad. "No, I was already awake. I was going to get Mike up soon anyway."

"Do you guys want to meet up at my house? Everyone else is coming, too."

El smiled at the idea. "Yes, I'll get Mike."

"Alright, cool, I'll see you guys soon, then."

"Bye, Lucas."

She let go of the button on the Super Com and placed it on the couch behind her. Finding herself in a very good mood that morning, she practically skipped over to her sleeping boyfriend, and woke him up by peppering light kisses all over his face. "Wake up, Mike."

Mike groaned. "What time izit?" he muttered, rolling over in bed.

"Eleven o'clock. Lucas called," she replied.

"Whadid Lucassay?" he slurred, still groggy from his sleep.

"He wants to hang out today, with the rest of the Party. At his house."

"Aren you goin' tuh Will's houze?"

"That's later. We probably aren't going to be moving my things in there until tomorrow, I'm just sleeping there tonight, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," he remembered. "And we goin' to Lucas's houze today?"

"Just wake up," she said exasperatedly, but while laughing. "Or you won't get a single kiss from me today."

Mike shot up after hearing this. "I'm awake, I'm awake," he said loudly. "There, you see?"

"Mm-hm," El smirked, and walked to the bathroom. Mike saw his girlfriend walking away from him, and paused his mind just to admire her for a few brief moments. He was stunned over the fact that since six months ago after seeing her for the first time in a year, she had changed and matured so much. And in that time he could see that she was slowly blossoming into a young, beautiful woman. Her curves were much more pronounced, and her body had grown in all the right places; her ass, her breasts, her beautiful hair; she was absolutely stunning.

Shaking his head and trying to calm his hormones, he let her use the bathroom in peace and went upstairs for a shower.

After saying goodbye to his Mom and grabbing a quick breakfast for himself (and some extra Eggos for El) Mike had darted downstairs, given El her food, and taken off together through the back basement door to go to Lucas's.

They had decided to walk; it was a nice day and the sun was out, and a cool breeze was drifting across Hawkins that gave just the right temperature to be comfortable in summer clothing. They reached the driveway of the Sinclair household and saw Will and Dustin coming from down the street across from them.

A smile broke across all of their faces when they saw one another. They met at the foot of the driveway and all exchanged hugs.

"How you feeling, El?" Dustin asked.

El smiled. "I'm good right now."

Will and the rest of them nodded. "Well, let me know if you need anything from me, El," Dustin said, placing his hands on her shoulder and giving it a friendly squeeze.

"Yeah, me too," Will said. "Especially now that we are going to be living together."

Dustin froze with shock and surprise. "What?! When did this happen?"

"Maybe you'd like to find out inside?" Lucas called from the front door that he had just opened. He waved his friends toward him.

They went inside the house and hurried into the basement, saying hello to Mrs. Sinclair on their way. Max was already down there when they reached the bottom of the stairwell.

"Max!" El squealed happily and ran to meet her best friend. She was incredibly thankful for Max being in her life now. It was amazing to have a close friend in her life who was also female; it was always good to know that there would always be someone available to her whenever she needed advice on girl stuff, or just wanted to get away from all the boys in her life; there were so many, even too many it felt, at times.

They finally separated from their hold on one another. "How are you?" Max asked.

"A lot better," she replied, still beaming. "What about you?"

"Same here," Max nodded. "I've been with Lucas, like...every night this week, except for one. It's helped. A lot."

Dustin snickered. "Reallyyyyy…?" he said. "Must have been having some fun, am I right?" he teased.

Max blushed, but Lucas had other ideas. "We've been having more fun than you and _Suzie_. All you guys do is sing," he shot a playful jab back at his friend.

"Ohh, Jesus," Dustin sighed, rubbing his temples. "Please get off my back about tha-" But it was too late.

"Turnnnn around…. Look at what you seee-eeee-eee…" the entire party was singing now, and Dustin looked like he wanted to kill himself.

"Might I remind you, that song is what saved all of our asses that night," he said loudly over their singing.

"Is what you guys sing when you're having phone sex?" Max teased.

"Fuck you!" Dustin said, but even he couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Wait, what is all this about? I'm so confused," Mike interrupted the conversation.

"Oh, nobody told you and El? Dustin and Suzie decided to sing that song when we were running away from the Mindflayer in our car! It was fucking ridiculous!"

"Are you shitting me? Why would you be singing at a time like that?!" Mike asked incredelously.

"It was because we needed to know what Planck's constant was to unlock the safe. And Suzie was only willing to give it to me if we sang that song."

"Didn't you tell it was serious?!"

"What was I supposed to tell her? 'Yeah, we're just saving the entire world from Russians and monsters from another dimension.' Yeah, that's real convincing."

"Touche."

They all flopped onto the couches in Lucas's basement, and were quiet for a moment.

"Aren't your parents, you know… wondering why you've been gone for so long, then, Max?" Will asked.

"They were on vacation," she replied.

"But didn't they get back on the eighth?"

"The ninth."

"So why did you sleep here last night?"

Max sighed, knowing that it was probably time to tell the rest of her friends about the situation she was in with her parents. "I ran away from home yesterday."

The group was silent for a moment, wide-eyed and incredulous. "Why on Earth would you do that?" Dustin asked, his brow furrowed.

"My house is just… not a very nice place to be in right now, now that my parents are back, and with Billy and all."

"I don't mean to be rude or anything," Mike said, "but does that cut on your cheek have anything to do with that?" Max reached for her cheek, almost covering it up before she realized there really wasn't a fucking point.

"Yeah, that was my Dad," she replied quietly, looking at the floor.

"Are you okay?" El immediately asked, expressing deep concern for her friend. Max nodded in return, but she could tell that Max was hiding the true extent of her feelings. Even El, with her still limited knowledge of social queues, could tell that Max was hurting badly.

"So you're staying here with Lucas?" Mike asked.

"Yeah,"

"That's good," El said. "I've been with Mike, it's amazing."

"Uh-huh," Dustin snickered, along with Will. Their teasing laughter was met with a menacing glare from Mike.

"What are you guys doing today?" asked Will.

"El's moving her things from the cabin into the Byers' later today," Mike replied, to which the rest of the party exclaimed.

"Is El moving in with the Byers'?" Max gasped excitedly.

"Yeah, it looks like it," Will smiled. He hadn't really given it a lot of thought before this point, but the idea of having a sister, (assuming that at some point his Mom would legally adopt her) someone new in the family did kind of excite him. Even though that she would be leaving with them soon, he wanted to make sure that she made the most of her time left in Hawkins. And he was determined to be the best brother possible to her.

"That's great," Lucas said.

"Yeah, except now Mike's girlfriend is his best friend's sister," Dustin howled with laughter and rolled onto his side on the couch.

"Okay, shut up! They're not actual siblings! And you're assuming that Joyce is gonna adopt El!"

"What else would she do? She's a kid, she needs a legal guardian!" Dustin carried on laughing, now on the floor after falling off the couch. "Especially when she starts going to school," he added.

"And they would be step siblings, remember?" Lucas pointed out.

"But they're living in the same house! What if Will walks in on them sucking face or something?!"

"Jesus, Dustin, that's not gonna happen…" Mike muttered, but even he was having a hard time not smiling. Agree with Dustin or not, he was always going to be the funniest one in the Party. Even El was giggling a little bit, which was one of Mike's favourite things to see. Once he had finally calmed down, he turned to face Mike.

"Sorry, what were you saying? Before I pointed out that you're dating your best friend's _step _sister?"

"El and I are moving her stuff into the Byers' later today," Mike restated, giving a grin to El.

"Can we help you guys?" Max asked. She was desperate to keep herself occupied, she didn't want to be thinking about her situation with her parents at all right now. Plus, it did sound like fun. The whole party together, doing something normal, helping their friend move. Okay, maybe the fact that the house was a trashed mess of broken wood and glass wasn't quite normal, but normal enough for the party.

"Yeah, that sounds cool," Mike said. He knew that time alone with El was amazing, but right now he was feeling like hanging out with all of his friends. "You guys wanna head over there right now?"

* * *

The gang had met up with Jonathan and asked him to use his car to move El's stuff back to the Byers'. After enthusiastically agreeing, they had all crammed into the back of the old car and gone over to the old cabin.

As they approached, El already felt the emotions within her stirring again. Even though she had had a nice time with Mike the previous day, it still brought her nearly to tears when she saw her old home in complete tatters. She swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped out of the car. When Mike got out after her, she immediately sought his hand with hers. Their hands latched together, and she instantly felt stronger and warmer; it gave her the courage she needed to go back into her former home.

The Party and Jonathan walked to the front door, in silence. No one knew what to say, really. The last time they had all been in this cabin together had been the fight, where they had nearly died; a traumatic experience for all of them. That was probably the reason that everyone hadn't dared to speak a single word, because of all the thoughts rushing through all of their minds simultaneously.

With the rest of the group in tow, El slowly stepped into the building, and inhaled sharply, and reminded herself that she was with Mike and the rest of her friends and that everything- no matter what- was going to be okay.

"What should we start moving out, El?" Mike asked her, turning his head toward her so that his deep, brown eyes connected with hers. She slowly turned her head around, surveying the cabin, trying to sort her thoughts in her mind as to what she wanted to take back with her.

"There are some boxes under the floor. I want all of-" she paused. "I want all of the boxes that have to do with Dad. I want the box that says 'Sara,' the box that says 'Vietnam,' and everything else. And I want the box that says 'Hawkins Lab.'"

Everyone nodded, not wanting to question any of the decisions being made. This was El moving out, and they were going to do it her way.

Mike was about to join the others in moving the boxes, but El pulled him aside. Mike gave her a questioning look. "Are there boxes in your room or something?" he asked, and El just grinned to herself and walked toward her bedroom, his hand still clasped in hers.

"No…" she murmured, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Just come."

When they reached her bedroom, El let go of his hand finally. "I just wanted your help with my room," she finally answered. "You're the only one I want to help with this part."

"Oh," Mike said, almost breathlessly. She wanted her help with her bedroom? It didn't really surprise him, he guessed, considering all the personal stuff she had in there, a lot of which that he wouldn't really want his friends seeing. He couldn't have even imagined how much teasing would have resulted in that.

"There's a left-over box we can use," her beautiful voice interrupted his thoughts. "I want to take everything."

"_Everything_?" he repeated dumbfounded. She wanted every single drawing, card, gift, and picture in this entire room to bring back to the Byers'? "Can we at least throw out my Ghostbusters picture?"

"No!" she said, laughing. "I told you, I love that photo." Mike's heart skipped a beat when he heard that word. _Love. _If he could choose one word to describe his feelings toward this perfect girl that stood before him right now, it would be that word. Had El chosen that word on purpose? Was she dropping a hint? Maybe she loved him too? A part of him was wondering ever since the fourth, if she _had_ heard him accidentally admit his feelings toward her, when he was arguing with Max. If she _had_ heard him, then she had chosen to ignore it. Why? He did not know.

_Shit_. He was probably just overthinking this whole thing anyway.

"And I still don't know why," he said, shaking his head but grinning all the same. "I'll be careful with all this stuff."

"Good," she said. "If you break any of it, I'll have to use my powers on y-" she abruptly stopped her sentence.

"What?" Mike asked, chuckling. When he didn't hear his girlfriend finish her sentence, he turned around from where he was crouched by the empty box. Her face had fallen, and there were tears brewing in her eyes.

"Oh my God, El, what happened?" Mike asked, nearly in a panic, practically running across the room to her. As soon as he was within arm's reach, El flung herself forward and buried her body into Mike's tall frame, sobbing into the fabric of his shirt. "What's wrong, El?"

"My p-powers," she stammered through her tears. "I k-keep forgetting that th-th-their gone."

"Shhh, it's okay, I know," he murmured into her ear. "They'll come back, I know it."

"H-how do you kn-know?"

"Because, how could they just go away like that? You've had them your whole life. Maybe they're just… recharging."

"But it's been _days_," she sobbed.

"You used them a lot that day. Maybe it'll take a while," Mike tried to reason with her, but El still had her doubts.

"What if the Mindflayer t-took them?"

"No," Mike suddenly blurted, louder and more abruptly then he would have liked to. Even though he was assuring and comforting El, even _he_ had his doubts as to whether her powers would come back. And even though it was true he never liked her just for her powers, it made him nervous, knowing that in some evil dimension out there, some giant monster was trying to kill the girl he loved.

And if he somehow came back, and El didn't have her powers to fight back, well… they would all be one hundred percent screwed.

"He couldn't have taken your powers. There's no way, it can't work like that. It's not that simple, El… those powers, they're a part of you. No one can take them. They'll come back, I promise.

El appreciated all that Mike was doing to help her. She was feeling a little bit better, finding sense in his words. Those powers were a part of her, it was a part of her DNA. They couldn't just be _gone_.

Right?

**Thanks for reading! As always, let me know what your thoughts are, what you want to see more of, whatever. I always love to here what you guys think! Take care :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Welcome back everyone! Thanks for the support and the new followers on the last chapter, I appreciate all the good feedback! This chapter I focused a lot of Mike and El, with some intimate parts between them, so I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Jane Eleanor Wheeler: Thank you! That's what I'm going for. El is in love, but is also in going through a lot of personal struggle right now.**

**Jean Summerland: Thank you so much! I'm trying to nail the characters as well as I can; a lot of the issues I have with other fics is the characters not being portrayed realisitically or in ways that are inconsistent with their on-screen selves. I'm trying to avoid that.**

**Stranger Records: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter too! **

"Is everything okay?"

El nearly jumped out of Mike's arms, started from the voice coming from the doorway. It was Max. Without waiting for an answer, she stepped into the room. "The rest of them are outside loading boxes into the truck," she said. "What's going on?"

Mike bit back the urge to roll his eyes or give her a glare. He still had not quite moved past the fact that she had corrupted El and made her break up with him. He was happy for El that now she had a female friend to talk with, but part of him still resented the fact that she had caused him so much grief.

"Yeah, El's just upset about her powers being gone," Mike replied with a hint of snark.

Max picked up on this, but she ignored it. She wished that Mike would realize that they both loved El, (in her case, as a friend, obviously) and they both just wanted what was best for her. And maybe she had been a little bit harsh, _maybe_, but she had just done what she thought was best for El. She hoped that she had given El some new insights into life that Mike could not have. After all, there was more to life than "stupid boys_._"

"I'm sure they'll come back, El. Don't worry about it, your battery is probably just… really, really, _really_, drained," she stated with a light laugh. El smiled back. Maybe her friends were right. Maybe it would be fine.

Max stepped forward to hug El, and Mike watched, trying not to say something hostile. "Do you guys want help moving some of this stuff out?" Max asked, indicating toward all of her belongings on the shelves.

"Yes, please."

"My Mom was talking to me about maybe renting a truck to move some of the furniture," Jonathan told El, who was sitting in the backseat. "In case you want to change up the room a little bit."

El returned this comment with a polite smile. "Thank you." She was still a little bit awkward with Jonathan, she had not had many chances to talk or bond with him one-on-one. But she was hoping that would change once she officially moved in with them. This was something she was both nervous and excited for. It would be nice not having to be cooped up in a small basement, and maybe get some more proper food for a change. Even she could get sick of Eggos at _some _point.

They pulled into the driveway of the Byers', and Jonathan turned off the engine. "Okay, guys," he announced. "Final stop."

"Alright, let's grab those boxes," Dustin called out, clapping his hands together. Each of them grabbed one of the cardboard containers and started hauling it into the house, placing it onto the living room floor.

"Hey, guys," Joyce greeted them, walking in from the kitchen "Everything good?"

"Yeah, we're fine, Mom," Will replied. "We're going to need that truck for tomorrow, though. I think El wants to move some stuff from her room into here."

"Yeah, that's fine. We've already planned it, we'll go over there tomorrow."

"Thank you," El said, looking to Joyce.

"Oh, it's no problem, sweetie," Joyce said, and went in to hug her. "This is your new home, and we are going to make sure that your room is perfect."

El hugged Joyce back and squeezed her hard. She always thought of Joyce as a sort of motherly figure. She remembered when they had first met, how nice she had been to her. And now she was looking at spending the rest of her life with this woman, or at least the rest of hre childhood. And her sons. The thought warmed her heart.

After helping El get settled into the house, the gang had all left to go back to their respective houses. Mike had promised El to call her on the Super Com when he got home, When he left, she walked over to her new bedroom, grinning like an idiot, already looking forward to hearing from Mike.

And meanwhile, Will was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in deep, deep thought. He must have lost track of how much time was passing, because the next thing he heard was El and talking to a staticky voice coming from her room. He could not make out the words but knew she was talking to Mike. She sounded so happy. She was laughing. Even after everything, this boy was able to make her happy.

Soon he would be gone. Gone from her life, gone from his life… Okay, maybe not completely gone, but still. The point still stood. They would be moving away, and Mike and El would be able to see each other more than what, a couple of times a year? Maybe a little bit more if they tried?

And he was going to be leaving the Party, too. And Jonathan was leaving Nancy. They were leaving everyone. And for what? Nothing. At least it seemed like nothing. Why did his Mom feel that moving was a good idea? If El wasn't in the picture, maybe he could _understand _it, but _with _El? Absolutely not. After being raised in a lab as a human experiment for twelve years, she had come here. To Hawkins. She had formed a strong attachment to this place, to the people and places here, and then it was all going to be ripped away from her.

Was there a chance that he could work together with Jonathan to maybe change her mind? Probably not, she had seemed pretty confident in her decision when they had talked about it before. But maybe all it took was something that could _really _prove to her how important it was to them that they stayed. High school was coming up, and that was going to a huge transition for all of them.

God, his mind was just a whirlwind of anxiety right now.

He was not looking forward to the day where they would have to tell El that they were leaving. At least he was not the one who would have to do it, that was his Mom's problem.

Those were his final thoughts before he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"How do you like your new room?"

El smiled. "It's really nice. It's going to be more similar to my old room when we move the furniture in. The walls are just a different color, that's all."

"I like the color of the walls," Mike said. "Or maybe that's just me. I've spent so much time in that house, I probably just learned to like it."

El laughed. "No, they are nice," she agreed, and then paused. "But I still miss my old room though." She was still sad about losing her old home. She didn't think anything would ever replace what she once had with Hopper.

Her Dad.

She sniffed, realizing that she felt a growing presence in the back of her throat. She tried to swallow it back, but it kept on rising.

"El?" Mike's concerned voice crackled through the speaker on the Super Com. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

_How does he always know what I'm thinking? He can't even see me! _'I'm...I'm fine Mike. I just miss him."

"I know, El. I miss him too." Mike was silent after that for a couple of seconds, not knowing what to say or do. What could he do? He couldn't bring Hopper back. He couldn't snap is fingers and make El's pain go away.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked, desperate to alleviate some of the emotions that were currently crushing his girlfriend.

"No…" she said, in between little hiccups.

"Hold on," Mike said, his tone changing suddenly. "I have an idea."

"W-what?" El said, her heart lifting slightly at his words.

"Just hold on, like, ten minutes, okay? Just give me a second."

"But-"

The Super Com clicked off, and suddenly Mike was gone. El frowned. What was Mike doing? And why had he left her? She was hopeful that whatever he was planning would actually help. She had faith it would.

She fluffed her pillow and put her head down. She puffed out her cheeks with a huge exhale and closed her eyes. Now she was alone with her emotions, with no one or nothing to distract her. With every second that passed, her surroundings drifted away. She felt as though she was back in her old bed, at the cabin. She could almost hear the sounds of Hopper in the kitchen, making breakfast for the two of them. She could smell the faint scent of cigarettes and coffee wafting through the bedroom door. She could almost see him. Right there in the doorway, telling her to get up, because Mike would be here soon.

And then the image was shattered. Gone. No more than a fleeting memory that would never be realized again. And then her cheeks became wet with fresh tears, that were falling down her face silently. She struggled to hold in her gasps and cries and hiccups, but she did. She did not want to wake the rest of the house, because that would be the worst way to thank them for letting her live with them.

So she lay there, curled in a ball, and just continued to quietly sob into her new sheets, alone.

Then there was a noise.

A faint tap on coming from her right. And she looked over and saw Mike, peering through the window, his palm flat against the pane.

"Oh, my God," El muttered under her breath, but she could not deny the smile that was finding it's onto her face, through her tears.

She slid open the window for him and he stumbled through. "It's almost midnight!" she whispered at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to be here with you," he said, giving her a toothy grin. But after looking at her for a couple more seconds, he noticed that her face was red and puffy and wet. "Come here."

And El crashed into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso, not daring to loosen her grip on him, for if she did, she would just start crying even more.

"Thank you for coming," she murmured. She felt his hand tangle into her hair, and he lightly massaged her head.

"You don't have to thank me," he said. "I'll always be here for you." El caressed his back and along his shoulder blades, breathing in his scent.

"Can we lie down?" she asked him, stepping away but still keeping her hands on his shoulders.

"Yeah, sure," he said. El pulled him toward her and lead him to the bed, where she crawled under the sheets. She held them open for Mike, inviting him in. Mike's mind paused for a fraction of a second, suddenly a bunch of thoughts rushing through his mind. This was the first time sleeping with El in a proper bed, not just a dingy couch in the basement. What did that mean? Did he have some kind of obligation to fill? Did El want him to do something, or just to sleep?

But before he could figure out for himself, El had already grabbed his hand and yanked him toward her. She wrapped her arms around his body and got as close as possible to his warmth, and rested her head in the crook of his neck. Mike tentatively reached for her hair and stroked it gently, while rubbing her neck with his thumb.

"Is everything okay?" he whispered.

El breathed. "Not really," she answered. "Nothing is ever okay anymore."

It broke Mike's heart to hear words like this come out of her mouth. All he ever wanted to do as her boyfriend was to help her and make sure she was happy and loved. But right now she was hurting, hurting a lot. And there really wasn't anything at all he could do about it. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes," she murmured, without hesitation.

"What? What can I do?" he said, sitting up slightly. "I'll do anything."

El rolled over on her side to face him and gave him a sweet smile. "Just keep doing what you're doing."

Mike just nodded slowly. "Okay."

He laid back down beside her and pulled her close, and El pressed her back against his chest, so that now they were spooning and there wasn't a single part of her that was not being completely absorbed by his body. The heat emanating from his figure gave her comfort, security, pleasure, and above all… a sense of home. Happiness. A feeling that no matter what, everything would always be okay.

She suddenly felt a tickle on the skin of the side of her neck, a blow of breath. Like a refreshing puff of wind on a hot day. And then there was a connection, and Mike was planting tiny pecks on her skin, slow and gentle and lovingly. El sighed through her nose and reached behind her to tangle her fingers into his hair and she pressed his head deeper into her, and the kisses grew more heated, like a fire. A fire that was melting away all of the sadness within her as if it were snow.

The more she stroked her digits through his hair, the more the kisses grew in passion and intensity, until El was fit to explode with desire. She rolled onto her back and snatched Mike's head in her hands and pulled it down to meet hers, and their lips met, sending a series of sparks flying through their bodies as they moved and meshed into one.

Mike had adjusted himself so that he was on top of El, putting some, but not all, of his weight on her. And El loved the feeling of being pressed so close to him, in between his body and the mattress, with no room for anything else but their passion. She separated from his mouth with a gasp for air and then brought them to the side of his neck, stroking the skin with her tongue and sucking it lightly. She moved her attention around his neck, and he moved his head upward to allow better access for her, and she continued to trace a line of burning heat all around his jaw, Adam's apple, and nearly everywhere else that her current position would allow.

And then Mike drew away from her and dove back in to return the favor, delivering the sensual contact of his lips on her neck that she was craving desperately. She lightly moaned, giving Mike the much-appreciated signal that what he was doing was perfect. As his need for her grew, he became more aggressive with his actions, using a little bit of teeth and a _lot _more tongue. It felt almost ridiculous for him to be licking and sucking her skin so much, but it felt so right at the same time, and El's gasps and moans drove him onward.

As his courage grew, he let his hands wander further down from her neck. They reached the bottom of her shirt and his fingers began to slowly move it upward, as if testing the waters to see what was okay and what wasn't.

He soon found his answer when El reached down herself and yanked the shirt upward, completely revealing her bare stomach. She sat slightly upward to allow her shirt to slide off her back, and she settled back down and pulled Mike with her, continuing to kiss him erratically.

Mike's mind was exploding with fireworks, knowing that he and El were making out and all she was wearing was a bra and her pajama bottoms. He could feel her perfect breasts touching his body through that thin layer of material, but there was something more he was craving. Something more intimate and serious. He grabbed one of El's hands and guided it to the hem of his shirt. She immediately understood the hint he was dropping. Both her hands found the bottom of his shirt and slowly pulled it up his back, and when it got to his head they quickly separated so she could finish removing it, and then they were back, except now there were no barriers between them on the torsos, except for that pesky bra that Mike was _itching _to remove. Their stomachs and arms, and the sensation of having El's smooth, delicious skin all over his body was driving him crazy with lust, and it was only being augmented by the gentle moans that were vibrating against his lips as they came out of hers.

He cautiously reached for her tits, and brushed his fingertips across one of them, and she responded by groaning into his mouth and bucking her hips upward to meet his. Taking this is a sign to continue, he became more adventurous, massaging them and gently squeezing them, utilizing his entire hand as he engulfed the entirety of them, placing his palm flat against them and squeezing lightly with his fingers.

They were so perfect; they felt like they were made for his hand; his hand alone. He diverted his attention to the other one, eliciting another sound of pleasure from her. Her fingernails raked across his bare back, scratching him. It felt _so _good, to be experiencing her this way, so close, so intimate, with no boundaries. With a spike of testosterone fueled by greed, he lowered his body down hers so that he was eye level with her breasts. He now had a moment to look at them, barely concealed by the undergarment that contouring their shape beautifully.

"Why are you wearing a bra to sleep?" he asked.

"I forgot to take it off," she said breathlessly. "Stop talking." She pulled him back down to her mouth and placed on of his hands back on her breasts. Mike ran his fingers along the flesh, soft and wonderful. Remembering what he had initially wanted to do, he inhaled and brought his mouth to her the corner of her right breast, just near the inside of her cleavage.

El gasped and weaved her fingers into his hair and pressed his head into her body even more. The feeling of having Mike suck and lick her breast was enough to make her melting. She desperately wanted him to just take her bra off, and just capture her nipple with his lips, but she knew that they had already taken a lot of steps this night, so she decided to just let Mike lead the way for the rest of the evening. He continued to tug and suction her skin, using just the right amount of everything. He latched his mouth onto another spot on her mound and sucked, _hard. _

"Oh, Mike, that feels so good," she moaned, and dug her nails into his scalp. She looked down, and saw his head buried in her chest, licking and stroking and massaging and sucking her, and was fucking _hot. _

He traced a line with his tongue across her chest from one side to the other breast where he did the same thing, and alternated between the two periodically at seemingly random intervals. It must have been ten minutes that he had spent pleasuring her breasts, applying his love to several different spots that allowed access, without removing the bra, but at times he tugged it a little out of the way, so he could get just a _little _bit closer to that special spot. But he didn't want to go fully in just yet. He wanted to take things slow and careful.

When he was done content with his job, he rose and gave El a single, passionate kiss that was only a few seconds long, but filled with love and meaning. "I think my job is done," he said, his voice deep and husky. El found it _incredibly _sexy.

"What do you mean?" she asked, biting her lip to suppress a giggle.

"We'll see in the morning, I guess," Mike replied, a hint of mischief in his voice.

Curious about his words, El raised her eyebrows. "Hmm," she hummed, and pulled him onto her and hugged him, holding him tightly. _I love you_. Was now the right time? She wasn't sure. She could never be sure. She still couldn't get that night at the cabin out of her head, that moment where she overheard Mike confess his feelings to her. If she was honest, she just wanted to hear _him _say it first.

But that was the last thing that she remembered crossing her mind before she drifted off to sleep, holding Mike while he held her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Welcome back everyone, thanks for the love, as always. Nothing really to say other than school is getting really busy. But I'll try to stay on top of things. **

**Jane Eleanor Wheeler: Thank you so much! Hope you like this chapter too, even though it's a little less steamy.**

**Mik El Max: Thank you!**

**Stranger Records: That's exactly what I'm going for. Glad you felt the vibe!**

El's eyes fluttered open, and then closed again. She didn't want to wake up, and she was angry that she had. It had interrupted a really good dream. A _really _good dream, and it involved Mike.

She sighed, recalling had been happening in the dream. It was almost embarrassing to think about it, how she had been dreaming of it. They had been getting intimate in El's bed; they had both been naked, and they were about to actually have sex, but then she had woken up.

For whatever reason.

More and more El was finding that ever since she had read some of those magazines from Max, her mind has been wandering. Thinking about all the things that she wanted to do with Mike. Some nights it felt as if it was constant, these animalistic urges pounding in her brain.

Stupid hormones. She still had a lot more to read, but she doubted she would get through all of it. She had yet to read that article that Max had bookmarked for her, something that she had supposedly done with Lucas. That was intriguing to her, especially considering that Max had said that they had not actually had sex; so what did they do? The idea of other options was interesting to her. While the idea of actually having sex with Mike was enough to make her mental, part of her was still holding back; she was only fourteen years old. Even she had heard that usually, it was a good idea to wait a little bit before making that final step.

Now that she was going to be away from Mike more, she knew that she should not have any problem finishing up that reading. Excluding the fact that she was clearly learning more, she found that her literacy skills had also slightly improved. With her dictionary and some questioning of Mike (without revealing where she was reading them), she had learned a lot of new words too, some not even sexual.

It made her happy to know that despite her initial upbringing, she was able to learn so much with the help of her friends. Maybe one day she would truly have a normal life, and go to high school with Mike and the rest of the party, and do normal things like hang out a park, eat in the cafeteria, study for exams, or whatever. Or maybe that was just a pipe dream.

"Morning," a scratchy voice next to her said. El turned to look at Mike, who had just begun to stir. He was rubbing his eyes. "How long have you been up?"

"Just a few minutes," she replied, reaching over to brush his hair with her hand. Mike smiled.

"What are you doing?" he asked, chuckling.

"Your hair is so crazy in the morning," she responded, giggling. "So puffy."

"Yeah, that's why I need to shower," he said, gently pulling the covers off himself. He was walking toward the door but then paused. "I'm at your house, aren't I?"

"Yes, so be quiet," she whispered loudly, trying not to laugh. "You can go out the window, the way you came."

"Oh, right." He tiptoed back to his side of the bed and was about to throw his shirt back on, but when El sat up in the bed he burst out into a smile, distracting him from what he was doing. His work from last night was clearly showing.

"What are you smiling at?" El asked, giggling.

Mike smiled proudly. "Did you enjoy what I did last night?" he asked.

"Yes," El said, almost breathless from just thinking about what had transpired that evening in her bed; when she had watched him flick his tongue over her tits and suck on her skin and gently squeeze her flesh. It had been breathtaking.

Mike's eyes flicked down to her chest and gestured toward it with his head. "Look," he said, still grinning like an idiot.

El furrowed her brow and glanced down, and gasped. "Mike," she said, almost in a panic. "What are they?" Her voice was laced with confusion and worry. All on her breasts where the bra had left exposed there were several red blotches. They didn't hurt, but they looked bad.

"They're hickies, El," Mike replied, still grinning like a fool, like he was proud of what he was seeing.

"Why are you smiling?" El asked, still a little concerned. The fact that Mike wasn't worried about it calmed her a little bit, though.

Mike paused and moved toward her. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and nudged her backward, and her calves connected with her bedside. Mike continued to apply pressure to her until she collapsed on her back against the mattress. "Mike, what are you-"

And then suddenly his lips were against her neck, gently stroking the skin with her tongue and sucking the skin. "When I do that," he breathed into her neck, separating from her for only a moment so he could speak. He separated again, "if I do it long and hard enough," followed by more kissing. El moaned lightly, and dug her nails into Mike's hair. "It leaves a bruise."

"A bruise?"

"Yeah," he murmured. "A mark. My mark on you." El quivered when she heard that. The premise of being _marked_, or… _claimed_, by Mike, it was just… wonderful. She felt amazing, like part of him had been left on her.

"What if other people see it?" she asked.

Mike sat up, and placed himself beside her on the bed. "Well," he began. "They're not really things that you want other people to see."

"You said they were marks? Why wouldn't you want to show people?" El asked, confused.

"Yeah, but, like, people don't really like it. They judge you, and they're kinda considered… tacky? Gross? I don't know. That's why I made sure to do it… you know, down there."

"Oh," El said. It seemed that every time she learned something else about the world, it just made it more and more confusing. Like for every step forward, there were two steps back. Every answer raised another question. Then she noticed something on Mike's neck and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" he said, looking incredulous.

"You have a… a hickey. On your neck. I must have done it," she said, not trying to hide her laughter.

Mike's hand instinctively rose to the side of his neck. Of course, he couldn't feel anything. "Oh, shit," he muttered, eyes widening slightly. "Is it bad?"

"I don't know. It's like this," she stated, making a circle about the size of a loonie with her thumb and index finger.

"Is it dark? Where is it?"

El got off the bed and walked to him. Ever since Mike had kissed her neck a couple minutes ago, she had been fighting the urge to kiss him. He got on her tip-toes and pulled his head down and stroked her mouth across the dark patch on his skin. "Right here," she whispered against his neck, and planted a wet kiss right on the mark.

Mike exhaled heavily out of his nose as soon as contact was made. El pulled him backward and they collapsed once again on her bed, and their lips connected euphorically. Unfortunately, the moment was not meant to last long, as Mike soon separated.

"What's wrong?" El asked, frowning.

"It's getting late," Mike said, sighing with exasperation and sadness. "My Mom doesn't know that I left, if she sees that I'm not home she'll have a fit."

El smiled. She found it endearing that Mike broke so many rules just to be with her. She valued his commitment toward her so much. "Okay. I think Will's mom and I are going to the cabin today again, so I don't know if you can come over later today."

"Okay," Mike replied with a nod. "Just call me on the Super Com whenever. I don't think

I'm doing anything today."

El realized that she could spend some time this morning reading some of the Cosmo magazines, before she went with Joyce. She smiled at the idea, looking forward to learning more about some of the things that she could do with Mike. In the last few days, the more she was with him (which was a lot) the stronger the desire that was building inside her became for something more.

She kissed Mike goodbye on the lips, and he hopped out the window and started on his jog home.

When she walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, she was greeted by a smiling Joyce. She was standing right behind the counter and seemed to be making up some scrambled eggs.

"Hey, sweetie," she smiled, turning her attention toward her for a brief moment before bringing her attention back to the sizzling pan in front of her. "Sleep well?"

"Yes," she replied, still fuzzy from the night Mike and her had shared in her bedroom. "Did you sleep good?" El had learned from her time with Hopper that it was the correct social convention to return the question when someone ever asked something like 'How are you?' or 'How was your day?' She was determined to build a good relationship with Joyce as early as she could.

"I slept well, thank you," she replied. "Want some breakfast?"

"Yes, please," she said, making her way to the table. She sat patiently for a few moments. "Do you want help?"

"No, it's fine, sweetie, I got it. I got some of those waffles you like in the toaster right now, they'll be done soon." As if on queue, the Eggos popped up from the toaster, the familiar aroma was already filling El's nostrils. It made her feel like she was back at home.

"Thank you," she said, while Joyce put her food on a plate and set it down in front of her on the table. She joined her at the table, sitting on the side opposite to her. She had a coffee mug in hand. She poured some sugar and milk into the cup and started to stir it with a spoon.

"So, El," Joyce began, but then caught herself. "Is it okay if I call you El? Or do you prefer Jane?"

"El," El replied, picking up one of the Eggos in her hand and taking a large bite out of it.

Joyce nodded. "I'm sorry, El," she said, rubbing her eyes, not meeting hers. El swallowed the mouthful of food in her mouth and spoke.

"What for?" She was genuinely confused. Joyce had taken her in and given her a home and had been nothing but help in her crazy life. What could she possibly be sorry about?

"It's just that the last six months, we've barely spoken," she began, looking very upset with herself. "It's almost felt like I've abandoned you, or something."

El immediately felt bad. "No, don't feel bad about that," she consoled. "It's not your fault. And you've done so much for me in the past." It was true. Joyce had helped her so much, and she was with Will, while she was with Hopper. They hadn't had any reason to cross paths in the last six months.

"I guess," Joyce sighed. "Thanks, sweetie, that means a lot to me." El grinned. She was glad Joyce was here for her. Letting her come into her house and live with her, giving her food and a home, and now she was going to take care of her for the rest of her life. At least that's what it seemed like.

"Thank you, Mrs. Byers," she said abruptly. "For everything."

"Oh, sweetie," she replied, waving her hand. "It was the least I could do. It's what Hopper would have wanted."

Silence descended upon them, and their thoughts both started to wander to a common person. El could see it in Joyce's eyes; a shadow of sadness flashing in them. She never realized how much he had meant to her, and she could see that this was evident now. "You miss him?"

Joyce focused her eyes back on her. "Hopper?"

"Yes," she said. "You miss him, don't you?" Joyce could only nod.

"I miss him a lot," she said. Another period of silence followed, only interrupted by El's quiet chewing.

"I'm gonna get dressed," Joyce announced, sitting up from the table. "Just finish up you waffles, sweetie, and we'll leave soon." El watched as she left the room. She had a feeling that Joyce was hurting a lot more than what she had let on. Maybe Hopper had meant more to her than she previously thought.

About an hour later, the two of them got into the moving truck that Joyce had rented. There were a few pieces of furniture that she wanted to move into her room. Jonathan had offered to help, but they had the proper equipment to help them move the heavy items, and all of the things inside the dressers and shelves would be gone, so it wouldn't be too heavy, Joyce had said.

El was sitting in the passenger seat, gazing out the window, lost in thought. She was still thinking about how much the passing of her Dad had seemed to affect Joyce. She knew they were close, but was it possible that there had been some kind of romance between them? It wasn't improbable; they were both single, had apparently shared some of their youth years together, and El had seen a few hints that might have pointed toward that idea during her time living with Hopper.

A part of her always felt guilty. It was always because of her that her friends were suffering. All the bad things that happened in their lives were direct because of her. She bit back her emotions, but with little success. _Just hold yourself together while you're here with Mrs. Byers, _she thought to herself.

And worst-case scenario, if she were to break down, she supposed that Mrs. Byer's was probably one of the best people to do it in front of.

"Okay, El," Mrs. Byers said, slowing the truck down to a halt as close to the cabin as the vegetation would allow. "We'll use this path to push the stuff." El nodded in response, still only giving Joyce half of her attention.

They walked in silence to the front door. It was not until they had both stepped inside that Mrs. Byers spoke out. "Holy shit," she breathed, almost too shocked to form words. El realized that it was the first time her seeing the cabin in this state, and El could tell that she was appalled.

"The stuff is in my room," she said, leading her to the bedroom. All of her little knick-knacks had been taken, leaving only bare shelves and storage spaces; a shell of her former life that was lying right before her.

She took a deep breath, again, forcing her emotions down (which she had a lot of experience doing). "All I want is the dresser here and the table here," she stated, pointing to the small bedside table near her bed. Hopper had made both of these items from scratch in the backyard of the cabin. It was the only reason that she wanted them, really.

"Okay, they're not that big," Joyce said, putting her hands on her hips. "This is doable."

El nodded absentmindedly, still not paying one-hundred-percent attention to Joyce. Every time she tried to force the feelings of grief, sadness, and anger inside, they seemed to return with ten times the ferocity and severity, eating at her like a disease from the inside. And once again, being in her old room relentlessly stirred her and reminded her how much better things used to be. Reminding her of all the things that she used to have; and now she was being forced into a new house, probably as a burden to the entire Byers family.

Maybe leaving this furniture here was a better idea. The pain of having to stare at a reminder of him every day for the rest of her life seemed to much to bare. But at the same time, leaving them here seemed equally as terrible. Maybe they would be better off in some ditch somewhere at a roadside, where she would never see them again.

Once again her feeling betrayed her, and she felt the tears start to unwillingly come out from her eyes. And within an instant, Mrs. Byers came to her and wrapped her arms around her body protectively, allowing her to press her face into her shoulder and vent out all of the raw pain.

"He made them for me," she choked out, barely able to speak.

"Who made what for you, sweetie?" Joyce asked, rubbing her back.

"H-Hopper," she hiccuped. "Made the desk for me. A-and the dr-dr-dresser."

She felt the grasp around her body tighten after that remark. "Oh, El," Mrs. Byers whispered. "I'm so sorry." El continued to shudder and gasp into her shirt. "Is that why you wanted them?"

"Yes," she replied. "But I don't know if it's a good idea anymore," she admitted, failing miserably at curbing her cries.

"Why?"

"Because," she wailed. "When I look at them, I keep thinking about him. It's my fault he's g-g-gone." And another explosion of tears erupted from her throat, she was almost hysterical at this point.

"No, baby, don't say that," Mrs. Byers said, nearly scolding her for believing such a seemingly ridiculous thing. But to El, it was not ridiculous at all. It was the raw truth.

"The Mindflayer wanted _me_. He did all this because of _me_. Everyone is dead because of _me_," she cried. "_I_ should be dead, not everyone else."

"Don't say that," Mrs. Byers soothed. "It's the Russians who opened the gate. The Mindflayer killed those people, not you."

"But he killed them to kill me!" she exploded, pulling away from the embrace that they had been sharing. "He flayed all of those p-people," she shouted. "And killed them, to kill me. I should have gone to him myself."

Joyce looked at her and felt every strand in her heart get ripped in two. What did this child do to deserve this life? She was fourteen years old, for God's sake, and this was what was on her mind? How could she think this was her fault? All Joyce knew was that she was going to make sure that she knew that it was not her fault. She couldn't even imagine how much weight this was on her conscience. And she wanted more than anything to just take it all back, to make all her pain go away. But she couldn't.

"El, sweetie-" she tried to speak, but was cut off.

"You don't know anything!" she yelled.

"Sweetie, please, I-" But her voice was cut off, but not by words, but by a guttural roar of pure fury from El as she collapsed on the floor, laying slack on the ground. It seemed as though she had completely exhausted herself, past the point of speaking or producing any coherent words. Joyce immediately went to her side and sat down next to her, and rubbed her back and head as comfortingly as she could, waiting for her to go through it. Her shoulders were shaking and her body heaving, letting out occasional quiet groan or gasp.

When she had finally calmed down, or just merely ran out of energy, Joyce took the opportunity. "El," she began, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "None of this is your fault. The Mindflayer would have done the same thing with or without you. He still would have wanted to destroy everyone. The gate still would be open. You were just a stepping stone on the path he wanted to take."

El didn't reply.

"Everyone who put their life on the line for you did so willingly. You can't blame yourself for that. That's what Hopper did. He did that himself. You aren't the reason that he's gone." Hearing his name, El sat up, slowly but surely. She looked her in the eye.

"You loved him, didn't you?"

Joyce was cut off by the question. To be honest, she wasn't sure. But she heard the words come out of her mouth, like a reflex, controlled by her subconscious. "Yes," she murmured. "I did love him."

"Me too," El whispered. "I miss him. So much."

"I know, sweetie," Mrs. Byers said, rubbing her shoulder. "I do too."

"Mrs. Byers, I-"

"El," she interrupted. "Call me Joyce. Please."

A pause in the discussion fell over them for a few seconds. El's expression changed slightly, but Joyce could not figure out what it had changed to, and if it was a good change or a bad change.

"How are you… how are you so strong?" El asked.

"What?"

"You haven't cried at all," El pointed out. "How?"

A single tear dripped down Joyce's cheek. "Sweetie," she said softly. "That's not true. You haven't seen me the last few days. But I haven't been doing well either, sweetie. You aren't alone with this."

El looked at her, and she repeated her words once more, enunciating every syllable. "You. Are. Not. Alone. I'll always be here for you, El," she sniffed, more tears dropping down her face. "I'll always make sure that I'm there for you. And Will, and Jonathan… they'll always be there for you too."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**Thanks for reading the chapter guys! Review and give a follow if you're liking it, as always. In the meantime, take it easy :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everyone! Sorry about the wait for this chapter, I've been pretty busy with school last couple days. Advanced physics class is a bitch... I cranked this chapter out, just to fill the gap. If any of you read chapter 4, I believe it was, the alcohol night is coming up soon, I have some fun stuff planned out for that chapter. Coming soon, probably. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one, and my apologies for the wait.**

**LovelyInLavander: Thank you so much! I've been working hard on it. We're getting a lot of those cloudy fall days, aren't we? **

**sarahlucylu: Thank you! I am trying to focus on developing the characters and relationships. Bringing this story to life is one of my main goals here. **

**strangerthingslover13: Thank you! El is a complex character with a lot of emotion. I'm trying to capture that as much as possible.**

**Bruh: You got it, chief :)**

**Luna0603: I'm glad you felt the emotion like I did! I'm a big fan of your work on this site, ****_Tied Together with a Smile _****is something that I'm enjoying. You guys check Luna out too!**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: I loved those parts too! Those were two moments that I knew i wanted to have when I started to write this story.**

**Jean Sumnerland: Thank you :)**

**Juliak: No problem! Keep reading!**

With a great amount of effort, Joyce and El had been able to get the furniture into the truck and into the house. When they had gotten to the house, Jonathan and Will had both ran out, telling them how insane they were for moving it themselves and not with their help.

The two of them had insisted that it had been easy, but in truth, it had been quite difficult. But it was a bonding experience for both of them; El now felt a lot more close to Joyce. There was a familial connection growing, she could feel it. And she was thankful for it.

El was now eating dinner with Will, Jonathan, and Joyce. They were dining on a simple meal, but a good one. She enjoyed the home-cooked meal, Hopper was not one to make homemade food usually. She was eating mashed potatoes, peas and chicken.

While chewing her food, she found that Will and Jonathan were acting strange. They were barely talking, poking their food. And kept sharing knowing glances with one another, like they knew a secret that she didn't.

Like they were hiding something.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, looking at the brothers.

Jonathan coughed suddenly into his glass of milk. Will looked up, surprised by the question. "What?"

"You guys seem… upset," she said.

They didn't answer for a moment, but then Will spoke to her. "No, I'm okay."

"Yeah, I'm good. Just tired, is all," Jonathan agreed. Joyce looked concerned but did not say anything. El was getting a lot of weird vibes from all of them, if she was honest; like they were hiding something from her. She was growing frustrated. But she did not want to say anything; it was her first actual dinner with her new family, and she was not going to burden them already. She finished her last bite of food and asked to be excused. Joyce nodded, and she went to the kitchen and rinsed off her plate and left it in the sink. She left for her room and closed the door when she got there.

With her hand.

She was still adjusting to operating without her powers. Doing something as simple as closing a door was always something she did with her mind. Now she had to make a physical effort to do anything, and it was quite annoying.

El laid on her bed on top of the covers and closed her eyes, and let her thoughts consume her body. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shake the feeling that everywhere she went, something was being hid from her. She had sensed it when she arrived at Mike's house that day from Max's and heard the guys arguing about something. Mike had said, _it's better that she moves on, _or something like that. Had he been talking about her? He _had_ gotten really squirrelly when she entered the room, after all.

Then Jonathan and Will, and even Joyce were acting like something was wrong. Like something was happening that they knew about, but she did not. It was making her really frustrated. People were always treating her like a child; no one understood that she was no longer the scared, mute, ignorant, little girl they had found in the woods. She was now a teenager, with her own thoughts and feelings, with a future. A future where she could go to school and learn; a future where she could grow up and get a job and be successful; a future with _Mike_.

People underestimated how far she had come in the last one and a half years. She had spent so, so, so many hours in Hopper's cabin, alone with nothing but the television and books and homework had left her. She knew about math, and english, and science. She understood most social queues and concepts, and although she still was not perfectly fluent in speaking, she understood everything everybody said, and understood everything that she read. She knew when people were treating her like she was stupid, or something. The only people who she had ever felt completely comfortable with to talk to, were Mike and Hopper. They never treated her differently. They never acted like she was a child. They never gave her special treatment. They treated her like a regular person.

Even with the rest of the Party she still felt awkward at times with. Will, Dustin, and Lucas were her great friends, but they simply weren't at the same level as Mike. Additionally, she had broken down a lot of barriers with Max in the last week, but she still was not quite at the level she held Mike and Hopper to. They were the most important people in her life.

She was feeling lost; she had been for the last few days. And it didn't help that she felt like everyone was lying to her.

That was the last thing she remembered thinking before she drifted to sleep.

* * *

Max woke up suddenly, in a sweat. Her chest was heaving, and her eyes were wide open. She turned her head to look at the digital clock, and read _3:30am. _She cussed under her breath and flopped back into her makeshift bed next to Lucas. They had fallen asleep while watching a movie together on the couch; there legs were stretched out on the footrests, and Lucas's arm was flung lazily around her shoulders.

She was vividly aware of what had woken her up; it had been a nightmare. An exact repetition of what had happened on the night of the fourth. When she had run into the food court and seen Billy standing in between El and the Mindflayer; as soon as that final tentacle had punctured his chest, she had jolted back to reality, fighting terrified tears. It was not the first time she had woken up like this. Almost every night she was having flashbacks, seeing Billy in the sauna, or choking El, or getting stabbed, or the cabin being torn apart.

It was all too much.

"You okay?" Max whipped her head sideways, and saw a half-awake Lucas staring at her, his eyes semi-closed. "Why are you awake?"

"Nightmare," she replied, setting back down and cuddling close to him.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked, rubbing her shoulder.

"Not really."

"Okay," he said, nodding. "That's okay."

A comfortable silence followed, their breathing in sync. Max sighed. "It's been every night, I've woken up because of something. I can't seem to get it out of my mind."

"Me neither," Lucas responded.

"You've had nightmares too?" Max asked, surprised.

"What?" Lucas chuckled. "Just 'cause I'm a guy means I can't have bad dreams?"

"No, no," Max said, retracing her steps quickly. She didn't want him to get that impression from her. "It's not that. Why haven't you told me? Why haven't I noticed?"

Lucas shrugged. "It's not important. You're all that matters right now. You're the one who's ran away from home. Your the one who's lost someone important. I'm doing fine," he reasoned. "My only priority is you right now, Max."

Touched by his words, Max leaned in and gave him a gentle and sweet kiss; brief but full of meaning and love. "You're amazing," she whispered, resting her head on his stomach. Lucas merely smiled in response.

"I don't mean to press, or anything, but aren't you worried about your parents? That the police are going to be looking for you, or something?"

Max grunted, clearly not bothered by this situation. "I don't care," she sad dryly."They can go fuck themselves. If the cops have to drag me back there, so be it."

"Damn," Lucas smirked at her. "Okay, Madmax."

"All I know is, when I get back, I really hope things are better with Neil. If I was my Mom, I would divorce his ass."

"Yeah, but sometimes things aren't that simple, Max," he pointed out. "If they were, don't you think you Mom would have done that a while ago?"

"I don't fucking know, I just want him gone," Max broke down suddenly, tears exploding from her face, and then she was burying her head into Lucas's armpit and her whole body was shaking.

_Oh shit._ _Do something, Lucas! _"Hey, hey, shhh, it's okay," he started saying to her, hugging her and kissing the top of her head. "Shhh, it's fine, you're okay. It's okay, everything will be fine, I promise."

"What's wrong with me?" Max sobbed.

"Nothing is wrong with, baby," Lucas consoled. His eyes widened suddenly. Had he just called Max "baby"? Oh Jesus, he had never called her that before. He hoped that she wasn't too weirded out by it.

Max looked at him, smirking. "Did you just call me that?"

"Ummmm…" Lucas trailed off, his eyes darting around the room, trying to look anywhere but at her. "Yeah? I guess so…"

"You're sweet," she gushed, and then leaned into him again. "Thank you so much for being such an amazing boyfriend. I don't deserve you."

"Don't say that," Lucas protested.

"It's true," she insisted. "I can't even count in my head how many times I broke up with you since we started going out, over stupid shit."

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Things are different now, right? I know you know that. I don't care about what happened in the past. All I want to do is be with you right now." Lucas was looking her dead in the eye, still caressing her shoulders. Max could tell just by meeting his gaze that every word he spoke was the complete and utter truth.

Max couldn't help it. She knew she was in the middle of crying, and not even a couple minutes ago she was sobbing uncontrollably into him, but now all of that sadness was fading away. Just talking to him always helped her; it was like words had healing properties or something. Her mouth parted ever-so-slightly, and she looked at him.

Lucas knew what she was thinking, and in an instant they lunged at one another and met in the middle, their mouths meeting in a moment of pure heaven for both of them. Max was feeling animalistic, and she took charge immediately and pushed Lucas down onto the couch. His back connected with the backrest and she shifted herself into his lap, straddling his hips. Diving into his neck, she sucked and licked his skin furiously. He groaned and reached his hands upwards and cupped her breasts through her shirt, only to realize that she was not wearing a bra in her sleepwear.

"God," he sighed, and reached under her shirt and moved his hands up her belly and toward her chest. They found their mark on right on the mounds, and his thumbs flicked over her nipples. She groaned into his mouth, and he could feel himself getting more and more turned on by the second. They hadn't done anything like this for a while, mainly because Max just hadn't been in the mood or the house was too busy; but it was the middle of the night, and she _needed _to be close to him like this, badly.

Lucas directed himself sideways so they were lying along the length of the couch, and now Max was completely on top of him, grinding her hips against his lower body, feeling his hardness beneath her. It was utter paradise, and after not doing it for so long. The hormones were raging and the desire was building. But no; she was not going to take that step. She didn't want to have sex with him, not yet. She wanted to wait till she was at _least_ fifteen.

Her fingertips found refuge under the waistband of the boxers he had been sleeping in, and she slid her fingers underneath carefully. Then she felt him, and she almost felt herself about to explode. She needed to thank him for all that he had done for her. She _wanted _to thank him.

"Max, you don't have to-" Lucas began, looking down at her.

"Shhh," Max shushed him, crawling back up to his head and kissing his lips. "I want to. I'm sure."

Lucas contemplated this in his mind. He wasn't going to argue with her, because that would just make her more mad. If there was one thing he had learned during his time with Max, it was that no matter what the context or circumstances were, she always spoke her mind, and anyone who wanted to question her would meet her wrath. So if she wanted to do this, he knew that she _was _going to do it.

"Okay," he replied and gave her a thankful kiss.

He watched her slide back down his body, pulling the bottom of his shirt up slightly, revealing his toned stomach. She knew Lucas had been working out a lot lately, and it was definitely showing; he was _definitely _the strongest out of all the boys. He had seen that during their stupid boy antics; playfighing, armwrestling, whatever.

She pulled his pants down his thighs, followed by hix boxers, and his erection immediately sprang out.

"Fuck," Max sighed, already feeling herself getting wet at the site of it. Not wasting any time, she took him into her mouth, sealing her lips tightly around the shaft. Lucas groaned and gently placed one of his hands on the back of her head, and giving the slightest push downward. His eagerness made her proud, knowing she was doing a good job.

She went down his dick as far as she could go without gagging, which was a little bit farther than halfway, and then pulled back slowly, looking up to make eye contact with him while she did so. She made it her goal that at some point in the future, she would be able to take him all the way into her mouth.

"Jesus Christ," Lucas said through gritted teeth when she flicked her tongue over the head while jerking him off at the same time. He dared to look down, and saw her place one hand on either of his thighs, and started to vigorously bob her head up and down, all while maintaining a vacuum-like seal on his dick. She wasn't even using any of her hands, it was so fucking hot.

Lucas knew that he wouldn't last long; the sensation of it combined with the site of Max taking him so hard was going to push him over in seconds. "Fuck, I'm close, keep going."

She hummed contentedly, sending vibrations all around his member. And then all at once he tensed and reached the breaking point and exploded. "Oh, God," he squeezed her hair in one of his heads and the bedsheets in the other, and squeezed his eyes shut; his body was to overstimulated to even open them.

And then he reached his climax; fireworks exploded in his mind as his dick pulsated in her mouth, shooting jet after jet of cum into her mouth. It was the best feeling he had ever experienced, and it always would be.

When it was finally over, she drew back slowly, leaving no semen behind. With a smirk, she got up and went to the bathroom, letting Lucas lie there, in utter heaven. He took that moment to close his eyes and thank the heavens for this amazing girl in his life. And he made a vow to himself, that no matter what, he would always be there for her, and protect her, and be with her.

* * *

No matter what.

"How much do we have?"

"A fuck ton," Steve replied, slamming down two huge cases of beer onto the dining table. "And we have whiskey and vodka in my car."

"This is going to be amazing," Robin gushed. "I'm so excited."

"I just can't wait to see El drunk," Dustin laughed. "Can I try one now, Steve?"

Steve bit his lip. One couldn't hurt, he supposed. "Yeah, go for it, Henderson," he grinned.

"Tell me what you think of it."

"Holy shit," Dustin beamed. "This is gonna sweet."

"Your first beer is always your worst," Steve advised. "I remember my first in ninth grade. It tasted awful."

"Mm-hm," Dustin replied, not really paying attention to him as he popped the tab of

the can. He leaned back in his seat and took a careful sip. His brow furrowed and he licked his lips, as if trying to figure out if he liked it or not.

"Interesting," he pondered. "It has a unique flavour."

"You don't like it, do you?"

"Nope," Dustin said, placing the almost full can back on the table. "I don't get how anyone

can like that."

"Oh, well," Steve said with a shit-eating grin. "I guess your little taste buds just can't appreciate the taste. It takes a certain level of…" he paused, and made a waving gesture with his hand as if he was thinking. "Sophistication."

"Shut the fuck up," Dustin stuck his finger up at Steve, who just laughed. "You're as sophisticated as a tablespoon."

"Uh-huh," Steve nodded sarcastically. "I'll bet you the other guys could have more than you could."

"You wanna bet on that?"

"Five bucks you can't shotgun that entire can, Henderson."

"You're on, Harrington!" Dustin shot back, and grabbed the can and tilted his head right

back. He started to drink the contents of the can, not holding back. His throat flexed and unflexed repeatedly, ripping through the liquid quickly.

"You can do it, strange child," Robin encouraged, in between sips of her drink. Steve shook his head, still not convinced.

But he was surprised when Dustin burped loudly and slammed the hollow can down on the table. "There we go," he shouted. "My testosterone is flying right now!"

"Calm down," Steve said sourly. "You balls haven't even dropped yet."

"Balls or not, you owe me five dollars."

"Yeah, yeah," Steve pulled a crumpled five dollar bill out of his pocket. "Enjoy your money, dickhead."

"Thanks for the gift," Dustin mocked him, waving the bill around before stretching it in his hands and planting a kiss on it.

"You guys are unbelievably stupid," Robin chastisted them. "Boys, indeed."

"Get me another!" Dustin yelled. "I'll show you who has sophisticated taste buds."

Steve placed a second can in front of Dustin. "Knock yourself out," he said. "You want a second round, Robin?"

"Sure," she replied, holding out her hand, accepting the second drink. She glanced up, enjoying the cool night air by Steve's pool. This had become one of her favourite places to relax; she and Steve had been spending a lot of time together recently, and the patio was an incredibly nice place. The furniture was comfortable and the pool was still and illuminated. The forest facing the back of the property brought an eerie yet calming, bringing a face of nature into the world for her.

"When are we gonna invite the rest of the dinguses?"

"I don't know, probably later this week when my parents are out," Steve replied. "And when we both have a day off from work." Robin nodded.

"It's gonna be a fun night."

**There we go. Another chapter done. I hope it was a good read. Remember to leave a review, the feedback on last chapter was amazing, I love you guys so much. And if you're enjoying this story, give a follow! I have a lot more to do here :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Alright guys, welcome back. Sorry for the wait with this one, midterms are coming close and school's a bitch. Enjoy the chapter :)**

**Guest: You're right, that conversation won't be good at all... I have some ideas for when the time comes.**

**Bruh: No problem, read what you want. Thank you, I try to make it seem as real and intimate as possible :) And thanks for your support, you've given me a lot of reviews. I appreciate it.**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: I actually don't even know how to use break lines. I have just been skipping lines and doing the three dashes (-) to break it up. I understand your hesitation when it comes to the alcohol, but I promise it won't be bad. I'm gonna keep it tame, and only plan for it to be a one time thing. One of the things I wanted to do was to depict teenage-hood in a real way, and I think that some recreational drug use and alcohol is a part of that. I'm not sure where I'm going to go in the future, but don't worry... I'll keep things nice. I assure you, we won't be having any crackheads in the Party :) Thanks for you continued support, Star!**

El cracked her eyes open slowly, and was immediately met with blinding light coming in from her window. She groaned and rolled over in the sheets and buried her head in her pillow, letting the softness and comfort envelop her. Something that her real life was lacking these days. Her thoughts went back to the previous night at dinner, when she got the vibe that things were being hidden from her by the Byers family. Her idea that they were hiding something from her, or at least trying to keep her from asking questions.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she got out of bed and made a beeline for the shower, eager to rinse off and clear her head. After shedding her clothes she stepped into the tub and turned the water on and tilted her head up and let the water run onto her face. It slicked her hair down and it stuck to her skin and face. She didn't bother pushing it away, getting lost in the feeling of just having a moment to be calm and think about her life.

She always enjoyed showers; sure, she had her bed, and some private time, but there was just something nice about stepping into a little box and letting hot water cleanse you, rinse away all the pain and worries just for a short amount of time. She looked down and saw the red marks on her breasts that Mike had left, and smiled to herself. It had felt _so _good, and she would have given anything to be with him for longer. But they had slept together, and it had been nice. Waking up next to him was like waking from a great dream, except the dream did not end when she woke up. It just continued.

But then she started thinking about that thing; the conversation she had party overheard. Mike saying that it was better for someone to move on. And then he lied to her about what they were talking about. She was almost positive that he was lying. But if she was honest with herself, part of her did not want to pursue it. With all of the stuff happening in her life right now, would it be best just to let it slide? If it was a huge deal, Mike would have told her. And maybe whatever he was hiding, maybe it was best for her that it was being hidden. But how could she know for sure if she didn't know for sure?

Her mind was spinning, not having a clue what to think or do. She decided that she would maybe bring it up the next time the two of them were together and they were alone. But she would be nice about it; she would not dump him, no matter what. Doing that before had been a mistake; she just got caught up in the moment with Max, and wanted to make her happy. But Max just wanted what was best for El, and if that being with Mike, El knew she would accept that.

Nodding to herself, she resolved that she would try to talk to Mike about it, at some point. Later; not today, maybe not tomorrow, but at some point. She finished washing off and stepped out of the shower to greet the rest of the family for breakfast.

A few days had passed, and the middle of July was upon the party. Moving on from Starcourt was being a slow process, but as a group, they were getting better. Max still had not heard from her parents, which she was happy about. She had been staying with Lucas for the past few nights, and he had managed to hide her from his parents successfully. "And you made fun of me for hiding a girl in _my _basement when we met El," Mike had teased him one day.

"Yeah, and look where we are today," Lucas had dismissed him. "I've apologized to you both for that, you know?"

"I know, I'm just teasing you."

Hopper's funeral was coming up, something that Joyce had been working hard to coordinate with some other people in town. The Party admittedly was not looking forward to it, not because they didn't want to honour Hopper, but because they knew it would stir up a lot of emotions. Especially for El, who was still in deep mourning for Hopper. It was getting a little bit better, slowly. Mike had been working hard to be there for her every day; coming to visit as much as he could, answering calls on the Supercom in the middle of the night after a bad dream. Joyce was doing her best to make sure El had all she needed, and Will and Jonathan were also supporting her.

She was starting to find that, despite her past attachment to Hopper, perhaps she would be able to find a true home with her new family. The ghost of her first true father would always haunt her, but perhaps that could be a good thing. Maybe not to think of it as a ghost, but as a spirit, or a memory, watching over and protecting her. That was a pleasant thought. Or at least a spin on a bad thought.

She turned off the water and stepped out. She dried herself off carefully; she always made sure to be careful with drying off, she hated being wet. Even though she loved her showers, part of her always disliked water from her memories in the Bath.

She through on some of the clothes that she had got at Starcourt with Max. She paused to look in the mirror, and a smile spread across her face. It made her so happy that Max had taken her shopping; it seemed like she had discovered a part of herself that she never knew existed. Over her body she was wearing a romper, like the one she had worn after leaving Starcourt, except it was a different design. The main color was red, and it had a couple splatters of black on it.

After a quick breakfast shared with Will, she went back to her room in hopes to get some more Cosmo reading done, but her process was interrupted by the ringing phone. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"El! Hi! It's Dustin! How are you?" he practically shouted into her ear. El recoiled a little bit from the phone. You could always count on Dustin to be the loudest person in the Party.

"Hi, Dustin. I'm doing good. What about you?"

"Great! I was with Steve last week, it was amazing! He gave me some beer, at first it tasted terrible but then he dared me to chug a can and it was great and I think I got a little bit drunk but I'm not sure, maybe I was just dizzy from being tired, I haven't gotten a full sleep in like two weeks-"

Will grabbed the phone from El, and she silently thanked him for doing so. She had no idea how to get Dustin to stop talking sometimes. "Dustin!" he yelled into the telephone.

El heard some indiscernible mumbling coming from the speaker. Then Will, "you drank what?" Another pause. "You drank beer?"

More talking from the other end. "I don't know if that's a...No, I don't think that's a good idea, Dustin, I… yeah, I _know_ my Mom drinks sometimes, but she's an adult… No, we aren't 'basically adults,' we're fourteen...Okay, okay, Jesus, fine, I'll come to Steve's tonight… Okay. Alright, I'm in."

He hung up and rubbed his eyes. "What did he want?" El asked. "Why was Dustin drinking beer? Isn't that only for grown-ups?"

"Uh, yeah, usually," Will mumbled, walking around the room. "But you know, like Mike said, 'We're not kids anymore.'"

"What?"

"Never mind," he said, waving his hand. "Looks like we have a night of swimming and drinking ahead of us," Will said.

"Drinking?"

"Alcohol," Will clarified. "Beer, and I think Dustin might have mentioned whiskey, too? I don't know."

"Do you want to drink, Will?" El asked.

"What?" Will looked at her confused.

El cleared her throat. She could tell Will was having doubts about Dustin's proposal. And she wanted to make sure Will was going to be perfectly fine with what they were going to be doing. She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable, after all.

"Do you want to Steve's tonight? Or are you just doing it because Dustin wants you to?"

Will shook his head, as if trying to shake away his thoughts. "No, I'm fine, I want to… "

"Friends don't lie, Will."

Will threw his arms up in the air. "No," he said sharply, making El draw back a little bit. "I don't really want to, El. I don't think drinking alcohol is a good idea, there's a reason why it's not legal for kids to drink. What if something happens?"

"But Steve will be there," El pointed out. "He'll make sure nothing bad will happen. Dustin said he's a… a good 'baby-sitter.'"

"Uh-huh," Will rolled his eyes, not surprised by his friend's antics, nor convinced. "I don't know, I know that I patched things up with Mike, but a part of me still doesn't really like where the Party is going."

El was confused. "I don't understand, Will," she stated. "What do you mean?"

"I don't like that everyone seems to be growing up without me. I missed out on a year of my life because of all this… this _fucking _Upside Down demo-whatever-the-fuck bullshit!" he yelled. "And for the last six months, where my life was actually somewhat normal again, all everyone wanted to do was spend time with their girlfriends, and not do anything fun anymore."

El was taken aback. She never had a clue Will felt this way, and she definitely had no idea that she had been stealing Mike away from him for so long. Immediately she felt terrible, but she didn't know what to say.

"And now," Will continued to rant, "Instead of doing something like playing D n' D, we're going to Steve's to get drunk. Like a bunch of stupid teenagers. Like a bunch of fucking hooligans." He was breathing heavily, out of breath from yelling. It was a good thing no one else was home, because Joyce and Jonathan would have been hounding him at this point.

El inhaled. She honestly had no idea what to say. She had just learned that Will felt like she had stolen Mike away from him, and at the same time, stolen part of his childhood away. She needed to apologize. "Will, I-"

"I'm sorry, El, I don't have anything against you, I know you didn't mean to do any of that, I know," he quickly backpedaled, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "And Mike apologized and said that he was going to be better. It's only been like a week and a half, so I can't really say he's breaking his promise or anything."

If there was one thing that El knew for sure, it was Mike's loyalty. Sure, he could get distracted or possessive, and sometimes lose sight of what was important. And she now knew that he had been excluding his friends in favour of her for the last six months. But, if Mike had told Will he was going to do better, then he would do better. El was sure of it.

"You're his best friend, Will. Don't worry, he will follow his promise. I know he will," she assured him.

"I hope so," Will grumbled, cooling off still from is outburst. He was still pacing around the room slowly.

El was thinking, and decided that she needed to get something off her chest. "Will?"

He turned to look at her, scratching the back of his neck expectantly. He made eye contact, and that made her a little bit nervous about she wanted to say. "Yeah?"

"I…" she trailed off. _Come on, El, you have to say sorry._ "I'm sorry. That I took Mike from you guys. I didn't want that to happen. I thought you guys were okay with it, but you weren't. I'm sorry. I promise I'll make sure not to… not to keep him all to myself."

Will went wide-eyed, and starting shaking his head quickly. He instantly launched into a nervous ramble. "No, no, no, El, I'm not mad at you, I-I was just upset with Mike, I know that you didn't know, and I don't expect an apology from you or anything, but-" he abruptly stopped speaking, realizing that he was blabbering like a fool. "Thanks, El. For apologizing. It means a lot to me."

Not able to find the right words to reply with, El just nodded. A sort of awkward silence fell upon the room, and it came to her that she had another question that she wanted to ask.

"Are we… are we siblings now, Will?"

Will slightly startled, but didn't show it in his body language, just in his mind. Were they siblings? Hopper and Joyce were never a couple, officially. Sure, they were close, but he thought that the only person in his Mom's heart was Bob. And he knew that for a fact; he had seen his Mom many times looking at the drawing of him on the fridge, or staring at old photos they had taken together. A part of her had never moved on from Bob, that was certain. But had another part of her secretly had feelings for Hopper as well?

Disregarding her relationship Hopper for a moment, was Joyce going to formally adopt El? He saw no other alternative. She was going to be living with them, and every child needs some sort of legal guardian; that was irrefutable. She was going to have to go to school, get viable legal identification for when she finally started to go out into the world, among other things. You needed to have a parent to do all that. So he supposed that it was just a matter of time before they were considering siblings, or at least step-siblings.

Did he want them to be siblings? He didn't quite know. He certainly cared for El; he had saved his life on more occasions that he could count. He valued her as a friend, and certainly wanted what was best for her. He had made that evident during the argument about moving away with his Mom. He wanted what was best for all his friends, and El was no exception. But siblings… that was something entirely different, and to be honest, he hadn't really thought about it that way yet.

"Yeah, El," he answered. "Yeah, we are siblings, I guess. As soon as my Mom adopts you, it'll be legally official, but to me, we are siblings. Brother and sister." He was happy with that response. He was happy with it because it was the raw, unaltered truth.

"And Jonathan too?"

"Of course. We're family now," he confirmed. "For better or for worse," he joked, eliciting a tiny giggle from El.

"And I guess that means my Mom is your Mom too," he thought aloud. Now _that _was kind of a weird concept. Sure, the idea was basically synonymous with "siblings," but when you thought about it that way, it was just… he couldn't find the right word. _Whatever. It's not strange. You're just being weird._

"Are you okay with that, Will?" El asked.

Shit. Was he being that obvious? "Oh, no, of course, El, having you as a sister sounds awesome. You're a great person. It's just that the idea of my Mom having a new kid it just… a little odd. Or something. I don't know. It's just… a lot of change is happening right now. It's hard to keep up, I'm sure you can relate to that."

"Yes," El replied, knowing all too well about that. Good change, bad change, whatever. Her life had been a whirlwind since the day she had met Lucas, Dustin and Mike in the woods.

"I guess we have more in common than we think," he grinned. He was finally building a connection with the girl that meant so much to his best friend. Sure, it had only taken over six months, but that was okay. The important thing is that it was happening now, when it mattered most. There was a bridge being made here, he could feel it.

"Don't worry about tonight with Dustin and the alcohol," El said, assuring her _brother_. "It'll be fun to be with the party. You might enjoy it, even."

Will thought about it. He decided she was right. It was the beginning of July, the height of the summer was still upon them. They had been through the ringer for the first couple days, but they had the rest of the season laid out in front of them, waiting to be experienced. And he was going to experience it to the fullest, not a worry in his mind. Or at least he would try his damn hardest.

"Alright, yeah. Let's do it."


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello everyone! Sorry for not posting in a while, my english teacher is a fucking asshole. But I just got a huge project done today, so I threw this together for you guys just to tide you over. The night at Steve's is coming next chapter, which I think is going to be two part event, maybe three. Depends on how in-depth I want to go with it, but I'm expecting to have the next chapter out a lot sooner. **

**This chapter is a bit of filler, with some Lumax. I know some of you guys might not be too happy about that, but this was a plotline that I wanted to wrap up, and I promise from here on out I am going to place a much bigger emphasis on Mileven and such. So don't worry :)**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: Yeah, Will and El's dynamic is something that I'm hoping to see a lot of in S4. And yeah, I agree that 14 is a little early, but you're right about the pressure. That was around the age that I first drank for fun with friends, and it was really fun, so I just figured I'd try the idea out. Let me know what you think when it happens :)**

**Stranger Records: I'm glad you like it! I am too. **

**Bruh: I think you're the person who objected to Lumax in the beginning so... I'm sorry, lmao XD but don't worry, next chapter will be great. **

**Luna0603: Thank you so much! I'm glad your enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it. You may be on the right track with El and Mike there... haha**

**Guest: I think you're right, Will wasn't blameless; but there was some wrongdoing on both sides, but that's the nature of growing up, am I right?**

Max was in the middle of a heated make-out session with Lucas when a really aggressive pounding came from the door. It was abrupt and deafening, and the whole house shook nearly down to its foundation. She shot up from her position where she was lying on Lucas's body as quick as she could. Concern washed through her body. His parents were not supposed to be home now, and they were right here in the living room.

"Is that your parents?" she whispered sharply. "Didn't you say they were gonna be gone for longer?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought, at least," Lucas muttered in response, shifting himself off the couch and started to tentatively make his way toward the door. "Hide in the basement, let me see why they're home so early." Max nodded, and darted toward the stairs.

Sighing, Lucas opened the front door and was greeted by an unappealing site. A cop car was parked on the street in front of the lawn, and two stern looking officers that Lucas didn't recognize were glaring at him with menacing eyes. _I wonder why, _he thought.

He swallowed heavily. "Is there a problem, officers?"

"Maybe," the one on the right replied. He squinted at Lucas a little bit. "Is Maxine Mayfield in this house?" Lucas's mouth went dry. How did they know? _Did_ they know, or did they just have a hunch? If he was to lie to them and say that Max wasn't here, would they come in anyway? Didn't they need a warrant to do that? Should he _ask_ if they have a warrant? Jesus Christ. They were cops, he couldn't just lie to them. Max wouldn't want him to get in trouble with the police because of her, but she also didn't want to go back to her house, and he knew almost certainly that they were here to just that.

"I'm here," a voice from behind Lucas spoke out. He whipped around, and saw a shy looking Max slowly walk around the corner to face the police officers. "And my name is Max. Not Maxine," she added, with a little bit more force and sass. Lucas held in a smirk. One had to respect her personality and fearlessness. Not even a police officer would get away with calling her by Maxine.

"Miss Mayfield, you're coming with us," the officer on the left stated. He phrased it like a statement. There was no question about it.

"Uh, where are you guys taking her, exactly?" Lucas piped up, wanting to know if she was going back to her house.

"That information is unimportant to you," one of the replied shortly, not bothering to make eye contact with him. _Fair enough, _he thought. He supposed that was the proper procedure, not to disclose personal information around other people about a person. It's not like they knew that he was her boyfriend, and that she wouldn't care.

"Where are you taking me?" Max asked sharply, no longer bearing that shy attitude she had when she had first come face to face with them. "And you can tell me in front of him, thank you," she said, nodding her head at Lucas.

"Tell you what," the officer said, his tone of voice betraying the fact that he was clearly losing patience. "We'll tell you everything you want to know when you get in the car."

Fighting the urge to make a snarky remark, she wrinkled her nose and stepped forward to put on her shoes. This was an uphill battle, and one she would not win, even she knew that for sure. After giving Lucas a quick hug and a peck on the cheek (she didn't feel entirely comfortable with public displays of affection in front of two intimidating policemen), she walked out the door, not bothering to see if she was even being followed.

Lucas watched Max walk across the lawn, and the two officers looked back at him with a grudging stare, as if he was doing something wrong for not dating another black girl. He felt a spark of courage, saying "Is there anything else you guys need, or can I close the door?"

"Watch your lip, boy," one of them spat back, and then stalked off, followed by the other one. Once they were out of earshot and turning away, he cursed them under his breath and flipped them off before closing the door.

Max sat nervously in the back of the police cruiser, twiddling her fingers apprehensively. Her mind was a whirling hurricane of thoughts, and she was finding it impossible to focus on a single coherent idea. She was feeling too nervous and afraid to ask them where it was they were taking her, but she was assuming her house. It was a drive that was only a few minutes, and she had been sitting there for only about thirty seconds, so the possibility was not ruled out.

If they were going to take her to her house, why had the police come to do it. Why hadn't her Mom come or something? Or maybe her Mom had no idea at all that she was on her way right now. It was possible, she supposed. And if she was being taken back, did that mean that the issue with her Mom and Neil had been resolved? Or would she be walking right back into the storm?

Whatever the case, she was hoping it would be resolved by the evening, because earlier a very hyper Dustin had radioed them, yelling about Steve having alcohol and the rest of the Party meeting at his house to do some drinking. She had been excited for that since he had called. The Party was sure to get up to some fun antics tonight, and she wanted to be a part of that.

The waiting was getting to be too much, so she plucked up her courage and put on her mask of fearlessness and spoke. "Where are you guys taking me?"

"Your house," came the immediate response, devoid of emotion.

"Do my parents know I'm coming?" she asked, genuinely curious what the case regarding that matter would be.

"No, they don't."

Okay. So that was one thing confirmed. She was going to be dropping in, unexpected, right at her doorstep, to be most likely be greeted by her hysterical Mom and dick step-dad.

Fun.

She didn't have much time to think about anything else before the car came to a steady stop, and she looked out the window and saw her small, dingy house. She shuddered, already fearing what would happen as soon as she stepped through that door.

"Out you get," the officer in the driver's seat commanded.

"Uh-huh," Max absent-mindedly replied, trying to show the men that the obvious disdain for her was mutual. "Thanks for the ride," she threw in, but made sure to make it sound very sarcastic. Before a reply could be said, she slammed the door shut and strutted to the front door of her house. She was about halfway up the walk when her Mom came flying through it like a bat out of hell, her arms wide and tears rushing down her face.

"Max! Oh my God, sweetie…" her voice faltered and then suddenly she was swallowing up her entire body in a bone crunching embrace. She was shocked that her Mom could even move that fast. She allowed the hug to continue a little bit longer before it became painful.

"Mom, let go of me please, I can't breathe," she said, allowing a small smile to form on her lips. Her Mom pulled back, her face showing all her emotion; the days of stress since she had ran away showed on her face, dark circles etched into the skin under her eyes. But despite that, she was still shining with relief and happiness that her precious daughter was home and safe.

"Come inside, sweetie, please," she said, almost a beg. "We need to talk about something," A pang of nervousness hit Max's body. That didn't sound good. Talk about what? Something to do with her running away? Something to do with Neil, maybe? That seemed more probable.

"Okay," she managed to croak, following her Mom into the house wordlessly. She followed her to the dining room, where her Mom took a seat and gestured for her to sit down next to her. After doing so, she watched her breath in deeply and folded her hands in front of her.

"Is Neil here?" Max asked quietly, wondering why she hadn't noticed his truck in the driveway on the way in.

"No," she replied, not meeting Max's eyes. She gazed at her hands, fiddling with her ring finger, which she noticed, was bare. The ring from Neil was gone. Suddenly her heart was rising and she could feel warm hope coursing through her veins. Did this mean what she thought it meant? Was Neil gone from their lives?

"Where's your ring?" Max asked, hoping for a certain answer.

"We're getting a divorce," she abruptly announced, speaking rather loudly. Max startled. "Sorry, that was just… hard to say, I guess," her Mom said, still never meeting her daughter's eye. Why was she acting like this?

"What's wrong, Mom?" Max finally questioned, wanting to know that despite this great revelation, that Neil was going to be gone, her Mom still appeared to be upset. But for what reason?

"Because I didn't want a divorce, Max," she said, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. "I know he wasn't the nicest man, but… but he was nice to me, at least when he first met. He helped our family, he made sure we were taken care of."

"Taken care of?!" Max exploded, rising out of her chair suddenly. How was her Mom upset about this? That vile piece of shit was gone from their lives forever! "Why are you upset about this, Mom?!"

"Max, I-"

"He beat the shit out of Billy on a daily basis!" she screamed, pacing around the room. "He emotionally abused you over and over again, and you're upset that he's gone? Are you shitting me?"

Her Mom- wait. How was this person even her Mom? She didn't deserve to be her mother right now. This was just some stranger in her life who lived in the same house as her. _Susan_\- had tears falling from her eyes at this point. Fuck that.

"Max, sweetie, he wasn't emotionally abusing me, I just made so many mistakes, you don't understand."

"No!" She was starting to see red, blinded by the sheer frustration of it all. "Listen to what you're saying! You've obviously been brainwashed by him. You think that he was doing us good? Your wrong!" she shouted, and then stormed out of the room, blocking out the distressed cries coming from the dining room. She went into her room and slammed the door shut, and buried her face into the sheets of her beds and erupted into tears, not holding anything back now.

Her gaze turned to Billy's jacket. The jacket she had taken from his room and put in hers, just so that she could have a reminder of him, a piece of him with her. She grabbed it on both her hands and pressed her forehead to the material. It was cold.

"Why did you have to go?" she said almost silently, speaking to no one but herself. "Everything's just a mess now." She sighed. Why was she even doing this? Talking to a jacket, like she was expecting a reply or something. Jesus fucking Christ.

"Maybe Mom will come to her senses at some point," she carried on, not caring if she was talking to an inanimate object anymore. It was better than talking to nobody. "I guess it's not unheard of for people to like somebody who doesn't really like them back."

The jacket continued to lie there. "They say that sometimes girls go out with guys who are dicks," she pondered. "I thought that was just a teenager thing. Or maybe my Mom just needed to remarry, because she was short on money or something. But why would she settle on _him_? It's not like he even has a great job. We still live in this tiny house."

More silence from the jacket. Max huffed and threw it across her bed where it landed on the end of it. She closed her eyes, but then the image of Billy getting stabbed over and over by the Mindflayer came right into her mind. With a strangled gasp her eyelids flew up. She knew she would never be able to get that image out of her mind. That was the truth. The truth that her parents would never know. Her brother hadn't died in a fire, he had been brutally mutilated by a monster right in front of her and her friends. And she also knew that he would never get proper justice. He would go on to live in the hearts of the few people who cared about him as just another unfortunate soul who died in the fire of Starcourt Mall. Not as a hero. As a nobody.

Staring at the ceiling, her brain began to unwillingly drift away, disconnecting from her body before she lulled away into a painful sleep.

El was lying in her bad in the middle of the afternoon. And she was _bored._

Mike was busy with some family thing, something about his Aunt's house. He had said he would be in the evening in time for their plans at Steve's house, which was something she was definitely looking forward to. She had seen Hopper drunk on one or two occasions when she was living in the cabin, and it had been hilarious. The idea of having such an experience with her friends sounded like a great night, an opportunity she would not pass up easily.

Joyce was out, running errands and putting things together for the upcoming funeral. That was something that she did _not _look forward to. She had been very vague about exactly what she was doing; El had never been to a funeral, and had asked Joyce a couple questions. Her inquiries were met with replies like, "don't worry about it, dear," or, "I'll explain later," or something like that. Once again, she was being babied.

She knew that the people in her life didn't mean anything bad by it; their gestures were not ill-advised. But all the same, it bothered her a lot. Jonathan was out with Nancy; she had no idea what the two of them were getting up to. He might have mentioned a move? She wasn't paying much attention to the breakfast conversations.

The only other person in the house was Will, and he had holed himself up in his room. El assumed that he was drawing or something. She knew that he loved to do that in his free time.

On the other hand, she had just finished reading an entire one of the magazines. It had been very informative. But something stood out to her during her reading that she was desperate to try out; and best of all, it was something that she could do on her own.

_Masturbation._

Such a strange word. Just the way it sounded in her head… it made her feel gross. But apparently it was completely normal; healthy, even. And as a horny teenager, it sounded like a good enough place to start out. So she could figure out what was good for her by herself, and not have to worry about another person being with her or getting weirded out.

But she was acutely aware of the fact that just on the other side of the wall, was Will's room. So whatever she got up to, she would have to make it quiet as hell. But thank God there was a lock on her door; so no one could barge in on her in the act.

She stood up off the bed and turned the lock, and tried opening the door herself to make extra sure that there was no way that anyone could get in. Once she had piece of mind that she was safe, she settled back on top of the bed, on top of the sheets. Where was she even supposed to start?

_Might as well get the pants out of the way, _she thought to herself. She shimmied out of the loose sweatpants and cast them on the ground beside the bed, so that now she was left in only her top and panties. Looking down at her underwear, she recalled some of the pictures she had seen in the magazines of other women who were wearing that weird underwear. But they had looked _really _nice. The thongs and lingerie… she wondered if Mike would like that. She doubted she could ever get her hands on any. _Oh, well. _

Her mind whirring with nervousness, she slowly reached down toward her center, and let her fingers dip underneath her panties. They brushed by her little hairs, and El made a mental note to talk to Joyce soon about getting a razor; she wanted to have soft legs and smooth skin like the models, she wanted to look good for Mike.

Not knowing quite how to start, she started to run her fingers over her folds, in between them and around them. It felt weird; the sensation that she had during her make-out sessions with Mike wasn't there. Her vagina was as dry as a desert. Maybe she had to get herself a little bit more… what was the word… wet?

She closed her eyes and crafted a mental picture inside of her mind. She imagined Mike lying on top of her, sucking and licking her all over her neck, sloppily and messily, everywhere. And at the same time, he was grinding into her, and she imagined feeling his erection through his pants poking her in between her legs.

Squeezing her eyes shut even tighter, she imagined that now he taking off her clothes, and she was taking off his, and they were getting naked in front of each other, and it was so fucking hot. Not on purpose, she let out a soft moan when she realized how wet she was. She pressed down against her opening with her fingers and rubbed them in between her folds, making long and slow strokes along the full length of her vagina, up and down.

It felt good; but not as great as she had expected. She curled her fingers slightly and started to rub against the tiny slit harder, but the pleasure that she was craving was still not there. With her eyes still open she frowned, wondering if this was even a good idea.

No. Max had given her these magazines, and that probably meant that she was familiar with this stuff. If Max could do it, shouldn't she? All her life, she had wanted to be truly normal. Determined to go through with this, she closed her eyes once more, and returned her attention to her hand.

Her fingers were now coated with her juices; her arousal was clearly heavy. Her fingers were slick and lubricated, and she bit her lip, wondering if it was even a good idea. What if it hurt? What if it felt weird? What if…

_Fuck it._

She licked her lips and pressed her index finger slowly inside of her. It was difficult; she

was so tight, and her finger, although small, seemed pretty big right now. Once she was about halfway through with her index finger, that's when it started to feel good. Deciding that she was going to all the way, the instantly plunged her entire index finger inside.

She grunted loudly at the sensation, which she had not yet decided if it was good or bad yet. Her opening was constricting her finger so much, and it was such a small space.

"El? Are you okay?" Will called from his bedroom. _Oh shit. Quiet down, El! _

"Yes, I'm okay, Will. I just...stubbed my toe," she lied.

"Oh," Will replied. "Okay." But El bad barely heard his response, because now that her vagina had adjusted to the invasion of her finger in it, she realized that it felt good. _Really _good. She began to slowly move her finger in and out, penetrating herself over and over again, and each time it felt better and better.

She let out a soft moan, she simply could not hold it back. It felt so good. She made sure to stay as quiet as possible. If Will found out what she was doing, she would probably die of embarrassment.

After about half a minute of her current routine, she found that her body had adjusted to one finger. She wanted _more._ Carefully, she pulled her index finger out, which was wrinkled from the moisture, and took her middle finger and ran it up and down her delicate folds, getting it ready to go in. Running her fingers along the outside was a different feeling, but incredibly pleasant as well. But she wanted to be inside.

She inserted the tips of her two fingers inside, and her chest heaved. She was getting stretched so much by her fingers but it felt so fucking good, _so fucking good. _When she was about halfway with her two fingers another moan escaped her lips, but a quiet one. Stealth was key right now.

"Oh, God…" she sighed, and pressed even deeper, until both of her fingers were completely buried inside her tight little hole, and she was biting back the urge to just scream. Why the hell hadn't she done this sooner? Making slow, deep, and rhythmic thrusts, she could feel the pleasure coursing through her body. The heel of her palm started to rub against the top of vagina, and suddenly a wave of euphoria washed over her.

She had to cover her mouth with her own hand to stifle an ecstatic groan. _Fuck. _That must be the clitoris. That little nub right above her opening, and the friction on it from her palm was the greatest thing she had ever felt. Muffling another moan with her hand, she sped up her pace, going in and out furiously, while still trying to pay a little bit of attention to her clit.

And then suddenly she felt something; it was like a wave slowly approaching, but then it started accelerating somehow. She watched it from the beach, coming closer to her. In a flash of pleasure it crested, and her entire body spasmed as the most wonderful feeling she had ever experienced washed over her body, and her muscles started contracting with her fingers still inside. Once again clamping her hand over her mouth and biting her lower lip, she suppressed a scream. It was like electricity was flying through her entire body, but it was the most heavenly electricity ever.

Even ten seconds after, the aftershocks of her first orgasm continued to run through her veins, and she could feel her heartbeat nearly everywhere in her body, but most of all, in her aching vagina.

She couldn't even bring herself to open her eyes. Taking her hand away from her throbbing center, she continued to lie there, bathing in the pleasure and satisfaction that was still fresh in her mind and body.

"Holy shit," she whispered, and giggled in spite of herself. She was _definitely _going to have to do that again sometime soon. And maybe with Mike.

**Alright guys, let me know what you think of this. Remember to leave a review, the more feedback I get the quicker I'll try to get the next chapter out! I'm shooting for Monday, maybe even Sunday. Thanks for reading, take it easy :) **


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, so if I remember correctly, I believe I said I'd have this chapter out on either Sunday or Monday. If I said Saturday or Sunday, I SINCERELY apologize. I remembered that promise I made to you guys as I was about to crash for the night, and I was like oh shit! I gotta get this chapter done! so here it is, I hope you guys enjoy it. I know some of you were skeptical about the whole booze party idea, but I tried to do it as well as I could, and made everything realistic, in my opinion. As always enjoy!**

**Jean Summerland: Thank you! It is, isn't it? I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

**Vader115: It's a much nicer name then "bruh," I'll tell you that. It's technically Tuesday, but I hope you don't mind that I'm an hour late.**

**Guest: Interesting take. I think that Mike is going to be FUCKING PISSED when he finds out El is moving, but I might look into that side of things, I never considered it that way. **

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: I'm not sure yet. I think that's a storyline I might leave for a little bit later, I'll see where the story goes. **

**Stranger Records: Indeed!**

"So I'm pretty excited, I can't lie," Will said, putting on a light sweater. It was the evening, and the temperature outside was cooling off just slightly. He knew he would probably end up taking it off anyway, but he still wanted it just to be sure.

"Really?" El asked, putting on an extra layer of clothing as well.

"Yeah," Will replied. "I was giving it some thought, and you're probably right. It'll be a fun night, with the rest of the party… it'll be good." El turned to him and broke out in a happy grin. She was thrilled that her now-brother-in-law was finally starting to loosen up a little bit, and was willing to explore a little bit more.

Mike had told her before that Will had been obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons or whatever. Unfortunately, the Party had been drifting away from that game for a while, and it seemed like Will had been… lagging. Maybe now he was finally starting to come out of his shell and catch up with the rest of them. Because as she had heard many times from many people…

_We're not kids anymore. _

What a scary thought. Eighteen months ago, they were a bunch of twelve-year-olds with squeaky voices and who were barely over five and a half feet tall. Now everyone seemed to be towering over her, and everyone was talking in deep voices and it was all so strange. And with her recently-found knowledge of the _sexual _aspects of things, well, that just through a huge ass wrench into the mix. She had really only noticed that side of things with Max and herself. With the broader hips and larger breasts and such, that sort of thing. With the boys, she couldn't really tell. She had never looked at anything near… there.

"You ready to go?" Will asked her, breaking her train of thought.

"Yes," she replied, stepping out the door with her.

"Okay, Mom! We're leaving!" he called out through the small house.

"When will you be back?"

"Tomorrow at eleven!"

"Where are you going, again?"

"Steve's!"

"Okay! Have fun!"

And with that, they shut the door behind them and walked down the driveway. The night air was cooler than in the day, more bearable. Mid-July in Hawkins was not a cold month; they had been sweating the entire time. A gust of wind came through and blew her hair around so that it was flying wildly behind her, like some kind of wildfire.

She loved her long hair; when she had had short hair in the past, she never really even thought about having hair like this. But she loved it. It was beautiful. She adored how it might stick to her body and back when she was wet, she loved to wash it and feel how soft and luscious it was after a shower. She loved it even more when Mike tangled his hands into it as he kissed her and moved against her, like that night a couple of days ago in her bed.

God, that night had been amazing. It was like a dream that kept coming back into her hand whenever she wasn't, at that exact minute, thinking about something. She closed her eyes, and all she could see or feel was Mike's hips pressing into hers, his lips on her breast.

_No. Calm down. _She couldn't be having this on her mind when she was hanging out with the rest of her friends. That wetness between her legs that she had been having a lot recently wasn't something that she wished to be dealing with in the same room as anyone but Mike.

"You wanna cut through the woods?" Will asked her, pointing his thumb over his shoulder toward the dark trees. "It'll save us some time."

El's heart skipped a beat at that idea. Walking through the dark woods, alone? With her powers gone? Through Mirkwood, no less. The same place where a whole _bunch _of stuff had gone down in the past. Nothing would happen, she was overthinking it.

"Sure," she responded, with a nod and a heavy breath.

They started on the trek through the woods, ignoring the chill that seemed to keep running up and down her spine with every noise. Come on, she had dealt with a lot worse than this in the past, right? She was El Hopper. Jane Ives. A forest was no big deal. She looked up and saw the leaves against the sky, forming a beautiful skyscape. In between the branches nestled a full Moon, glowing and bathing the land in its rather pleasant light.

She blinked and found herself staring at the large house, the home of Steve "the hair" Harrington. They had made it. The walk hadn't been so ba-

"HELLOOOOO!" a scream sliced through the air like a sword and Will and El jumped back. El even let out a shriek of surprise. They whirled around and came face to face with a laughing Dustin.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, dude?!" Will yelled. "I almost shit myself! You're lucky El's powers are still gone, you clown!"

Dustin was wheezing with laughter, barely paying attention to them. "I told you guys!" he called toward the house. "You guys said, 'noooo, they won't come through the woods, they're too scared,' but I knew they had the balls! And what did I tell you!? Pay up, Harrington!"

"Fuck off!" another voice called, and El saw a silhouette growing as it walked toward them. The light washed onto the figure and she saw that it was Steve, holding a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"What's up, guys? You okay?" he said, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Wait, are you guys siblings, now?"

"No, not yet. We haven't adopted her," Will clarified.

"Uh-huh," Steve nodded, pursing his lips. "Wanna come in? It's chilly out here, much warmer inside."

The two teens nodded eagerly, wanting to get out of the cool evening air that was turning chillier by the minute. Steve led them across the patio and around the pool, and through the sliding glass doors into the main area of the house. They were greeted by a group of giddy teens who were seated around a large circular table, eying a full bottle of Jack Daniels in front of a pyramid of beer cans. They barely even noticed that they had entered the house until Will said hello.

"Hey, guys," he said, waving. El waved too, but didn't bother speaking. Everyone at the table turned to look at them, and Mike was the first to spring out of his chair and rush to his girlfriend, quickly giving her a tight hug. She returned the embrace, taking in a deep breath and inhaling his scent. It smelled like he was wearing some kind of cologne? It smelled good.

Really good.

Mike pressed a kiss to her forehead. "How are you doing? Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I'm good."

Everyone else exchanged their greetings from the couches they were seated on. Lucas and Max were curled up close together, with Max's legs folded up, leaning onto the shoulder of her man. Lucas had his arm thrown lazily around her body, rubbing her shoulder absentmindedly as if it were a reflex.

El had noticed that since July fourth, Max and Lucas had seemed to have gotten a lot closer. She wasn't quite sure what had changed, if anything, but something about them seemed more… intimate. More serious, more loving, just more of everything. That made her glad, because she always thought that Lucas and Max had sort of a silly relationship at times. The constant bickering, always arguing. And Max had 'dumped his ass' _five times _since they started dating. How was any kind of relationship like that meant to be taken seriously?

But now they seemed to have come to their senses, and that made her happy for both of them. Whatever they had sorted out between the two of them had made them a lot stronger as a couple.

"Alright!" Dustin shouted, walking in from the kitchen carrying very small cups. "Everyone sit down!" he hollered.

"Relax, Henderson," Steve chastised. "You haven't even had a sip and you're already acting like your drunk."

"Drunk?!" Dustin repeated, bewildered. "Certainly not. I'm drunk off of testosterone! I bet you I can outdrink everyone here."

Steve glared at him. "Uh-huh," he rolled his eyes, sitting down on the armchair that was positioned at the head of the oval-shaped table. "Alright guys, sit down."

El immediately gravitated toward Mike, and took a seat practically on his lap she was so close. "Mike," she asked. "Why are those cups so small?"

He chuckled. "Those are shot glasses, El," he answered. "You pour strong alcohol in them and then drink it all at once really quick. It's called a shot."

"Okay," El nodded. "But… what do you mean by 'strong'?" How could a drink be strong? What did Mike mean by that?

"I don't really know," Mike answered honestly. "I've never had alcohol before. Apparently, it, like, burns or something? I don't know. I guess we'll find out together," he said with a smile, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

It burns? That didn't sound good. Was this safe? El was finding herself second-guessing herself now. But if Mike wasn't concerned, she supposed that she did not have anything to be concerned about either.

"Okay, guys," Steve said loudly, clapping his hands together. "So I'm gonna give all of you shitheads a shot of whiskey. It's forty percent, which means it's pretty strong. The question is, do you guys want to start with the shot, or a beer first?"

The Party all looked around, having no idea what to choose. None of them had drank before. "The beers aren't as strong, I'm assuming?" Lucas asked.

"No, they're five percent," Dustin answered. "I say we start with the shot. That way, the beer will go down way easier for you guys."

"'You guys'?" Max repeated. "What do you think you are, some sort of forty-year-old Dad who's a seasoned drinker? Have you ever even had a shot before?"

Dustin opened his mouth to shoot back a snarky remark, but then closed it. "No, he hasn't," Steve butted in. "He's just talking out of his ass."

"Shut the fuck up, Steve!" Dustin said, reaching for the Jack. "I'll drink this entire thing right now!" He picked up the bottle and waved it around in the air.

"Hey, watch it, dumbass!" Mike said. "Don't drop it, it's glass!"

"Try to drink all of it, Henderson," Steve challenged. "I _dare _you to," he added, with a cheeky smirk.

"Consider it done," Dustin said. He unscrewed the cap and lifted the mouth of the bottle to his lips. He tilted his head back and the liquid poured into this mouth.

His entire body recoiled and he spat the liquid out all over the table, and nearly dropped the bottle before catching it in both his hands and placing it back on the table. He gagged several times, his entire body convulsing as if he were a cat about to throw up. Everyone screamed with laughter.

"_What the FUCK!_" he yelled, sticking out his tongue and panting. "People drink that shit?!"

"Yeah," Steve said, laughing his ass off. "You pussy. Couldn't even stomach a single drop."

"Screw you, Steve," Dustin sulked, walking to the kitchen

"Where are you even going, you clown?"

"I need water!" he called, disappearing around the corner. "It feels like my mouth is on fire!"

Once he was out of earshot, Steve leaned toward them and whispered. "Don't listen to him, he's just being a drama queen," he assured them. "You guys can start out with the beer, and maybe we'll bust out the Jack later. The night is still young, my friends."

"I'm down," Will said. "May I?" he asked, pointing toward the stack of cans stacked on the table.

"By all means, Byers," Steve replied, grabbing a can for himself. He leaned back in his armchair. "Help yourselves, guys."

Everyone grasped a single can and popped the tab open. Mike was about to sip it when Lucas yelled. "Wait!" Everyone turned to look at him, their puckered lips inches from their cans. "I think we should propose a toast before we drink," he said, raising his beer a little bit over his head.

Everyone laughed and did the same. They all raised their cans above their heads and looked at Lucas, all of them sporting grins on their glowing faces. This was going to be an awesome night, and Lucas wanted to make sure that it was started right.

"This is gonna be an awesome night, guys. And there's no one else that I'd rather spend it with."

"Hear, hear," everyone else chanted.

"To friendship," Lucas said, raising his voice and waving his drink.

"To friendship!" was the echo, and they all drank.

El took a small sip and licked her lips. It was an odd taste. It was bitter and very fizzy, but as soon as she drank it, an odd and warm feeling spread throughout her body, filling her up and reaching the tips of her fingers and toes, it seemed. It was a very good feeling. It brought a sensation to her head that made her feel like no matter what, everything would always be okay.

It still tasted funny though.

Around her, everyone else seemed to have similar reactions. She wasn't sure if it was a boys thing, but as soon as Dustin took as sip he hooted and fist-pumped the air, and all the other guys yelled out in approval and stood up, waving their cans around. She and Max shared an eye roll. _Boys. _

"Yo, Steve," Lucas exclaimed. "This is good shit, dude!"

"Yeah!" Mike shouted out and took another gulp. He coughed and then seemed to bite back a gag. Everyone laughed.

"You sure it's good for you, Wheeler?" Robin came through the door.

Everyone jumped back, startled by the sudden entry of the high schooler. "Jesus Christ, Robin!" Steve rubbed his hands through her hair. "You could have at least knocked, I think I just shit myself."

"Just beer me," Robin muttered and held up an outstretched hand. "I've had a long day." Steve tossed the can football-style across the living room and she caught in both hands, and popped the tab and took a few hurried sips.

"Alright, I'm gonna get back to this," Will huffed, stretching his arms above his head and then grabbing the can off the table once again. He put it to his lips.

"Amen, brother," Dustin said and helped himself.

"What do you think, El?" Max asked her, and then took a swig of her own drink.

El raised an eyebrow. What _did_ she think of it? "It's good. I like it," she replied honestly with a full smile, helping herself to more.

* * *

"_Okay, guys!_" Dustin yelled. "I think it's time for some shots!"

Everyone yelled out in agreement. Steve had given a couple of beers to all of them thus far, and they were all feeling a little buzzed. And they were having the _greatest _time of their lives.

Mike leaned back in the comfy couch, right after slamming down his third can on the coffee table. He let out a loud burp.

"Oh, jeez, thanks, Wheeler. Fuckin' hell!" Max roared, and everyone erupted into laughter. Then everyone lost it, even more, when El let out the loudest belch of the night.

"Holy shit, El!" Will screamed, slamming the table with the open palm of his hand. "Any louder and I would have gone deaf!"

"Hey, hey hey! Focus, everyone!" Dustin started slapping the wooden surface aggressively. "We are about to drink the magic elixir that is known as forty-percent Jack Daniel's whiskey."

"Goddamn," Lucas whispered, rubbing his hands together like some kind of evil mastermind unveiling a plan.

"Watch it, 'cause this shit kicks like a shotgun," Dustin showboated.

"Oh, look how tough you are. I thought I was gonna have to call an ambulance for you after you took that first drink, you pussy," Steve jeered.

"Gimme a break, that was the warm-up," he shifted the blame immediately. "This one, it'll be fine, watch me."

Without waiting to get made fun of again, Dustin grabbed all the shot glasses and pulled them toward him, and tipped the bottle to pour a small amount in each glass. Max raised an eyebrow. It wasn't even full.

"C'mon, that's only like, half," Max whined. "Fill them up all the way you pantsy," she said, with a slightly slurred voice.

"Here we go," Dustin announced, stretching his arms out like he was giving a speech . "Designated lightweight over here."

"Oh, fuck off! I'm only joking, I'm fine," she snapped in a much clearer voice. "Just give me the whiskey, dickhead,"

El leaned closer to Mike and whispered. "What's a lightweight?"

"Oh," Mike replied, looking at her. "That's someone who doesn't weigh that much, they get drunk easier. The less you weigh, the less alcohol it takes to get you drunk."

"Oh," she murmured, nodding her head slowly. "It's no wonder Dustin isn't a lightweight. He's probably the biggest one of us here."

Mike snorted. "Yeah, probably," he said, eying the full shot glass that was being handed to him by Dustin. "Thanks, brother," he jerked his head toward Dustin in gratitude. Eying the strange liquid, he creased his brow and lifted the glass up to his nose and sniffed.

His face contorted in disgust and he almost dropped the glass. He gagged and plugged

his nose. "Jesus Christ!" He looked at Dustin with a mix of shock and admiration. "You drank this?!"

"Hell's yeah," Dustin smirked. He poured El's glass.

"El, you sure you wanna drink this?" Mike asked her, turning to look at her deep brown eyes. God, his semi-drunk state, she was looking especially appealing tonight. And to think that later in that night they would probably be sharing a bed to sleep…

Holy shit, that was enough to make his teenage mind burst.

El took a whiff of the liquid, and blew a quick burst of air out of her nose and coughed. "I mean," she began. "Dustin drank it. That probably means I can drink it, too," she reasoned, with a shrug. And without a second thought, she tipped her head back and stomached the entire shot.

"Holy shit!" Mike laughed, and everyone started cheering loudly.

"God damn!" Steve put his hands on his hip. "She took that better than you, Dustin."

"Shut up and pass the bottle, jackass," Dustin grumbled. "I'll show you guys."

"Okay, hit me as well," Mike butted in, along with everyone else as they simultaneously placed their glasses on the table, giving Steve and Robin impatient stares.

Meanwhile, El was trying to ignore that awful taste in her mouth… it felt like it was on fire. But the sensation in her body and mind, and the warmth in her gut, it was amazing. It made her want to laugh and have fun and not think about anything and just lie down and not give a shit about anything in the world, ever. And so she found herself placing her glass alongside the rest of them when they were all refilling their glasses.

"Hey," she felt a tickle of Mike's breath near her ear. She looked to her side to meet his thoughtful eyes. "Make sure you watch yourself okay? If you feel like you want to stop, or can't keep going, just… you can, okay?"

El nodded. "Okay, don't worry," she assured him, taking his hand in hers. "I won't have too much, I promise."

She was suddenly caught up in the moment of staring into his pupils, El felt a familiar urge stirring in her stomach. The urge that was telling her to lunge forward and ravish his neck and lips, but no. Not yet. Maybe later, in the night, when they had the guest bed all to themselves…

_Control your thoughts, El._

"Hello? Earth to El and Mike? You guys off in your own world right now, or what?"

Mike whirled his head back to the table, where he was getting stared at expectantly by everyone else in the room. He coughed. "What?"

"Pick up the damn glass! This is the first group shot of the night."

"'Group shot?'"

"We're having a shot. As a group, all together. Hence the name, gro-"

"Okay, Jesus! Somebody count down or something."

And then everyone started counting down together.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

And they drank.

**I could go for some Jack Daniels with my buddies right about now. As always thank you so much for your continued support, guys! It means the world to me. Let me know too what you thought of this chapter. Take it easy!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Welcome back everyone, part 2 of Steve's night is out. I tried to get this chapter out as quick as possible, but I can't make any promises for when the next chapter will be out. I haven't even started it yet, but I think I know where I want it to go. Prepare for some drama ahead, folks.**

**Guest: I never realized though of any actual games... I guess that might be another chapter? I'm not sure if I will do this idea again, maybe in the future. This idea is more of way to transition into a bigger even, but you'll see that later.**

**Luna0603: I hope your hopes are quenched with this chapter then :) Btw, I'm loving you work with "Tied Together With A Smile"!**

**Vader115: Thank you!**

**Guest 2: I definitely see what you mean. Guess we will have to find out soon :)**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: Damn right I did :) hope you like this chapter too!**

"NEVER ENDING STORRRR-YYYYYYY!" everyone screamed around the table, waving cans of beer and shot glasses high in the sky, living in the greatest moment of the summer so far, for all of them. Even Dustin was singing when normally he would be telling them all to shut up.

But Dustin was too drunk to care. He sprang out of his seat and almost fell over, stumbling toward the back of the room.

"Dustin, where the fuck you goin'?" Lucas asked with slurred words. "We're all tryna sing right now, and yer killin' it! The hell, man?"

"No, man, you don't understand what I'm doing here, man, just listen, man…" he droned, swaying around and trying to stay on his two feet. "You guys are all singing it wrong, it goes like, like, like, like _this_…"

He burped loudly and El shrieked with laughter, which startled Mike and made him drop his can. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled, and picked up the can. "Oh, thank God, it was empty."

"Sorry, Mikey," El giggled, leaning onto his shoulder clumsily and eying his lips. "I wanna kiss you," she slurred. Puckering her lips in a very exaggerated manner, she started making kissing sounds. Everyone started to laugh, turning their attention away from Dustin.

"Hey! Over you here, you bitches…" Dustin yelled, and stuck an arm to brace himself against the wall. From there he started to sing _Never Ending Story_, but he was skipping a bunch of the words and lines, and generally making little sense at all.

Will stared at his friend, grinning like a wild fool. He had not had this much fun in the entire last year. He had been skeptical about this whole thing at first, but his sides were sore from laughing so much, and his cheeks hurt from the smiling. His head was buzzing and his heart was fluttering with an overwhelming sense of joy, calmness, happiness… peace.

That was something that he had not felt in all of its meaning for so long. He was with all of his friends, having not a care in the world. Steve had been watching their intake for the entire evening, and he had made sure that they had not had so much that they would be vomiting, so he had peace of mind that he would be well and healthy the next morning.

But he was impaired enough to be howling with laughter along with everyone else in the room, talking and telling jokes, singing, and enjoying that oh-so-wonderful sense of companionship and friendship. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall at the other side of the room and noticed the time was much later than he had even thought: nearly two o'clock in the morning.

"Hey, guys, it's getting pretty late," he announced, standing up wobbly. "I think I might call it a night."

"Alright, go lie down," Steve signaled over to one of the open doors in the corner of the room. "There's a couch there, it's nice to sleep on."

"We'll wake you up when we have the fireworks set up," Robin added, with a mischievous grin. Everyone else in the room snapped to attention when they heard the word 'fireworks.'

"Fireworks? What fireworks? Is it Satan's Baby?" Lucas started rambing excitedly.

"Sounds like Lucas's got a boner from Satan's Baby," Mike jibed, taking another small slip from the nearly empty bottle of whiskey on the table. He had grown more accustomed to the taste of it, but he still had to bite back a shudder of disgust, he didn't want to look like a pussy in front of everyone else.

How did something so good taste so bad?

"I didn't know you brought fireworks, Robin," Steve mumbled, scratching the back of his neck in contemplation. "I don't know if it's a good idea to set them off at this time of night."

"Oh, come on! Loosen up!" Robin waved off his obvious concern dismissively with an exaggerated shake of her head. "The famous Steve 'the Hair' Harrington is afraid of some lil' ol' fireworks?" she asked him in a baby voice.

"Hey, shut the fuck up," Steve retorted. "I've already had the police up my ass once in the last few years, I don't want a noise complaint sending them all over here and then finding a bunch of drunk fourteen-year-olds."

"Oh, come on, Steve," Dustin pleaded and whined, crashing to the ground in front of him on his knees and started bowing down over and over again as if he was some sort of ancient Egyptian pharaoh. "We promise to do thy bidding for the rest of eternity."

Steve bit his lip and shook his head, fighting back a growing grin at how ridiculous this kid was behaving. What is this a good idea?

"I mean, Steve," Lucas entered the conversation. "You _do _live in the middle of a forest. It'll probably be pretty quiet. And the chances of you starting a forest fire are _really _low, it rained last night and everything is still wet."

That was a good point. Steve was also surprised at how well Lucas was composing himself after the last couple of hours of drinking. "You talk pretty well for a drunk guy, dude," Steve commented, sipping from his own can.

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. I definitely feel it. I guess I'm able to talk semi-decently, at least. Which is more than I can say for Dustin," he snorted, glancing over at his unstable friend, who was currently sprawled out on the floor with his belly up, arms and legs splayed.

"I'm just resting my legs, _Lucas,_" he replied his voice heavy with sarcasm.

The pair continued to bicker as Steve and Robin discussed the logistics of the firework idea. Mike watched his two friends with amusement. He always enjoyed watching the two of them argue about the most pointless things, and out of the entire Party, they did it the most.

However, he was completely oblivious to the fact that the girl beside him had been eyeing him hungrily for the past three straight minutes. And the alcohol was stirring her sexual desire strongly, and she could feel the arousal building up in every corner of her body. An idea came to her mind, so she collected her voice and spoke out to get Steve's attention.

"Steve, is it okay if Mike and I hang out in the guest bedroom until the fireworks get started up? If we are still doing that?"

Mike coughed on his drink, and he could feel his cheeks warming up at El's words. He was about to interject but realized that no one had even heard but Robin and El. Dustin and Lucas were on the ground wrestling at this point, and Max and Will were sitting on the other couch having, what seemed like a civilized conversation.

Steve cut off his words abruptly to stare at the two of them. He glanced at Mike, who was turning a beet shade of red and avoiding his eyes, and El, who was staring at him, innocently and expectantly. He thought about it. They were fourteen. He lost his virginity when he was fourteen. They were very invested in one other, clearly. Both of them were responsible. And what was the most that was going to happen?

"Yeah, sure, go for it," he shrugged and turned away to resume his talk with Robin, like he had not even given it a second thought. El's face beamed, and she grabbed her boyfriend by the hand and pulled him off the couch. Mike's face was still burning up, he could feel it, but now he was feeling something else stirring up inside him. His heart started to pound with excitement, given how his time had been with El the last time they were alone in a bed together. Fuck, it had been amazing. And now they were running toward the room giggling like children, for both of them knew what was going to happen as soon as the door closed behind them.

El set her foot through the doorway and turned around to face Mike, and no sooner had he slammed the door behind him and thrown himself into her, attacking his mouth with hers. As soon as contact was made there was a breathy and low groan that escaped him, and the friction between their bodies as they furiously made out only made the fire burn hotter.

A sudden animalistic surge rushed through his veins, and as if on instinct, he grabbed El's hips tightly and whirled them around so that she was backed up against the wall. He took his hand and placed it on her right thigh and hiked it up so that it was resting on his hip, and she suddenly realized what was happening. Before she could react, she was being lifted up, and then slammed between the wall and the boy that was holding her. Not able to resist, she moaned and opened her lips to allow their tongues to mesh together.

Both of them were panting at this point, hearts pounding and blood rushing. She was getting squished even harder against the hard surface behind her, and he could feel her breasts touching his chest, and his stiff penis rubbing against her thigh, and the anticipation within her that made her feel like she was about to explode. She did not know what was going to happen, but whatever it was she was ready for it.

Mike turned his attention to her neck, and latched his mouth around the skin and sucked

impossibly hard, and El knew it was going to leave a clear mark, but she didn't even care at this point. She could barely get out words to tell him what she wanted. "Mike," she gasped. "Bed…"

Not having to be told twice, Mike whirled around, still holding her in his arms, and then fell onto the bed loudly, and the mattress gave a loud creak in protest. The weight of Mike bore down on El's petite frame, but she didn't mind in the slightest. She enjoyed being so close to him.

She was eager for more skin-on-skin contact, and her hands found their mark at the bottom of Mike's baggy sweatshirt, and she inched it up his torso frenetically. As soon as it reached his armpits, he rose up and peeled off the layer of clothing, exposing bis bare chest to her. Leaning back down, their mouths met hungrily again, already starving from being apart for just a few seconds. In the meantime, El was unbuttoning the plaid shirt that she wearing, a hand-me-down from Hopper that she had chosen to wear for this night.

Mike let some of his weight off El just long enough for her to undo the last button, but after realizing that she was lying on her back, he realized that a change in their position would have to be made for her to get it off. "Come here," he almost growled, and she shivered at the tone of his voice, all husky and dominant and _sexy_. He rolled over and pulled El with him so that now he was the one lying flat on the bed and she was on top.

El finished peeling off the shirt that was keeping her skin covered, and tossed it aside without caring where it ended up. When she looked back down at Mike, she saw that his eyes had traveled down to her chest, his pupils blown and his mouth slightly agape. His expression said a thousand words, he did not have to even speak for her to know exactly what he was thinking.

"El," he murmured, his eyes darting up to look deep into hers.

Before even replying, he had grabbed her by her biceps and yanked her down to him, and their mouths were moving against one another again, both of them in equal heaven. Parting his lips a little bit more, Mike stroked his tongue along the kiss, waiting to be let in. El complied with a sigh, and the sensation of the intensifying kiss drove her to start swaying her hips back and forth against her boyfriend's body.

It felt so good when she did that, and with his eyes closed, Mike could almost imagine what it would feel like to have no barriers in between them, nothing but skin on skin, the heat from both of them radiating from their bodies and meeting in the middle. His erection was raging at this point, but it didn't even matter because with each passing second El was rubbing herself against it harder. He started to run his hands up and down her smooth back, so warm and so soft. Up and down, left and right, around and around along the canvas of her beautiful skin that he could still see through closed eyes.

El's soft moans were getting louder and louder, and they were turning him so much. His boner was still aching, but he wasn't going to make any move to take his pants off right now; they were both intoxicated and he wasn't sure if El was ready, and he wasn't going to ask if she was in her current state. Even though he was questioning boundaries, he found himself moving his hands toward her chest, and he was acutely aware of how close he was getting to finding his mark on her breasts, like they had that one night in her bed. He was desperate to feel them again, even if it was just through her bra.

He found the soft mounds of flesh and gave them a firm squeeze and El recoiled from the kiss for a millisecond with a gasp, before leaning straight back in and resuming what she was doing. She whispered against his lips. "Take it off."

"Are you sure?" he whispered back in between scorching kisses.

"If you don't, I will," she purred back, driving her hips into his again once with vigor, enticing him to do as she said. His heart skipped a beat, and his gut flipped. Holy shit, it was actually going to happen tonight. He was going to feel and see her naked tits.

Pulling her back in, he kissed her hard, and moved his hands toward the clasp at the center of her back. He pulled it apart, and he knew he had succeeded when he felt the straps loosen in his hands.

El shrugged her shoulders down and allowed Mike to gingerly pull it off without separating from their kiss. The bra was strewn on the floor, along with their shirts that long since been removed. And as soon as that happened, his hands flew to her chest, and nothing could have prepared him for what they were like.

They were so soft and round, and they were firm but at the same time seemed to mold under his touch, like two pillows that were made in heaven. He fondled them more aggressively and kneaded them like a cat on a carpeted floor. When he brushed his fingers over her taut nipples, she moaned loudly into his mouth. He did it again, and gave them even a tentative roll in his fingers.

"Mike," she whispered urgently through desperate pants, pulling away from this kiss momentarily, but just by an inch, and Mike could still feel her warm breath against his lips.

"What is it?" Mike asked, rubbing his hand through her severely tangled hair that had been caused by past intense couple moments. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again, as if she was having trouble finding the right words to say. "Is something wrong?" he pressed.

But without another word, she grabbed him by the back of his head with power and meaning. She rolled off his chest and onto her back, the comforter feeling nice against her bare body. With Mike's head in her grasp, he followed her movements and realized that she was guiding his face to those delicious tits.

Fuck, they looked so nice.

They were perfectly symmetrical, and there was ample enough cleavage for him to just bury his face in if he wanted to. Her nipples were swollen and pink and just seemed to be in the perfect place in relation to the rest of her chest. They didn't sag at all, they were shapely and big enough to get his hands full as he grabbed them both.

"Mike, please," she begged, knowing what she wanted. Not having to be asked twice, Mike carried on. But he wanted to tease her a little bit, make her want it so bad she was shaking. He massaged her left breast carefully, still wanting to build tension. He started kissing the other one, all around it, working his way closer and closer to her nipple as he did so.

The closer he got, the more her chest heaved. She struggled to keep her vocalizations from coming out, because if she did she knew that people would know what they were doing. But it just felt _so _good. And then he placed a single kiss right on her nipple and she gasped. The area was so sensitive and is mouth was so soft and warm and welcoming. But it was only there for a second, and then it was gone again.

"Mike, why did you-"

"Shhh," he whispered, his voice so thick with lust it made her shiver. He brought his head back down and let his tongue slide out, and dragged it all the way across her chest from one nipple to the other, leaving a hot trail of saliva along her tits.

"Oh fuck, Mike," she moaned softly. "That feels so good."

"Mm-hm," he hummed, and swiped his tongue along the entirety of her breast, occasionally sucking on the skin and making suction sounds as he let go of the flesh and relocated. It was heaven for El. She had no idea if it could get any better until he closed his lips around her nipple.

She wasn't even able to get out a coherent thought, so she just ended up hissing at the feeling and furiously grabbing the back of his head and tangling her fingers into his copious amounts of black hair, and she stroked it ferociously. He sucked harder, and at the same time attacking the nub with his tongue.

He moved to the side, sucking on the flesh beside the nipple, and El knew that he was trying to leave a hickey. She wanted him to, she wanted him to mark her so that every time she got changed in the morning and evening she would see those sexy bruises on her tits and think of this moment, watching his face buried into her chest and licking and sucking and kissing everywhere.

"Harder," she keened. And he complied, sucking on her tit as hard as he could so much that it almost hurt, but it felt so good at the same time, and she knew that it was going to be practically purple, but that would be even better.

He moved over to the next breast, and replaced his former hold on the other one with his hand, grabbing and squeezing it firmly. He did the same thing to the next one, which felt even more exhilarating.

They had been at it for a few more minutes before a pounding came at the door. "Hey, guys, you still in there?" It was Steve.

"Fuck!" Mike cursed under his breath and darted off El and toward the side of the bed where their clothes were located. He tossed the bra and shirt over to El and slipped on his own. "Yeah, we're okay, Steve," he called back out. "Are we still doing the fireworks?"

"Yeah, we got them set up, come out when you're ready," he yelled back. They heard footsteps walking away from the room, and they exchanged confused glances. How was he so relaxed about the fact that there were two horny teens in a bedroom with the door closed alone.

"Steve is a lot more relaxed than I thought he would be," Mike commented. "I wish more parents were like him."

"Yes," replied El, thinking back to Hopper's strict rules back during her time in the cabin. After fixing themselves up and smoothing out their ruffled hair, they walked into the living room to meet the rest of the Party. When they entered, everyone looked at them and smirked.

"You're shirt's inside-out, Michael," Max pointed out, completely poker-faced. Everyone else burst out laughing, and Mike turned beat red.

"Okay, shut up guys," he complained. "I bet you and Lucas get up to shit all the time, and I don't give you any shit."

"Yeah, but when we _do _do shit, it's not in the room next to our friends, and we don't come out with our clothes inside out."

El blushed, but couldn't hide her smile. She knew that her friends were just teasing, so it didn't bother her.

"Alright guys, let's go out and watch some of the fireworks, they're all set up," Robin announced and led the rest of the group into the patio where they saw Steve fiddling with a lighter. He whacked it twice against his palm, and tried again, but this time it ignited. The bright orange flame lit up his face, and he looked at the younger teens with a smile.

"You guys ready?"

**Alright guys, that's it for this chapter. As always, leave the reviews. They motivate me to plow through these chapters, and knowing that you guys like what I'm doing is very gratifying. Thanks for the support, and take it easy :) **


	21. Chapter 21

**Alright guys, I'm back. Sorry about the wait for this one, school is just kicking my ass right now. I finished this chapter during my physics class (we have a sub), and I didn't really proofread this too much. I got a review asking about the next chapter, and I had to get something out. This one's a little short, but I prefer to keep content coming, even if it's small. I'd rather not wait for a month and then get a chapter of like 10000 words. So anywhere, here you guys go. I hope you enjoy :)**

**Luna0605: Thanks! I just read chapter 8 of Tied Together With A Smile. You're a brilliant writer.**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter too, it's a doozy. **

**Vader115: Thank you! And here you go, if it hadn't been for you, this wouldn't be coming out today, lmao.**

A streak of colour dashed from the ground and into the sky with astounding speed and exploded into a shower of red and orange sparks, illuminating the night sky like a heavenly campfire up above. Steve whooped and the rest of the party laughed and cheered, gazing upward and lost in the magical sight.

"It's just like Starcourt, except without that bitch-ass Mindflayer!" Lucas yelled out.

Everyone agreed with that statement in their minds, but no one bothered answering because then another jet of light shot up in the stars and exploded with a boom.

"Are you sure the police won't come or anything?" Robin whispered over to Steve.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he replied, looking over at his lighter. "Worst-case-scenario, we'll

just tell the kids to hide inside and they'll give us a slap on the wrist." Robin nodded and looked back up, turning her attention to the spectacle overhead.

El was standing behind the rest of the Party along with Mike, their hands latched together. Every single time one of the projectiles blew up, she tensed up and gave his hand a hard squeeze, and each time she got a comforting squeeze back. She knew that he didn't mind. It was hard not to admit that the sight of it was beautiful; they way the different hues of light blended and mixed; the shadows that it casted upon them; how the forest canopy flashed. And when there was no Mindflayer trying to eat her, it was a breath-taking thing to look at.

But there was a sort of bittersweetness to it all; she was standing before these fireworks with everyone who she cared about. But in the back of her mind, she kept getting these flashbacks to that horrible night. However, she was able to push those flashbacks behind. Being with everyone gave her strength to stand through it all. And she knew that as long as her friends had her back, she would be able to get through anything, no matter what.

"What do you think of the fireworks, El?" El turned to her right and saw Mike staring right back into her eyes. He had beautiful eyes. She always got lost in them if the gazed into them long enough.

"They're nice," she replied honestly, tearing away from his face just for a moment before watching another burst in the sky. She turned back to look at him, and saw that his eyes had never left her face. He smiled and leaned down, giving her a single peck on the lips; it felt teasing, as if she was meant to feel like she wanted more.

Which she did.

"Have you ever seen fireworks before, El?" Dustin's voice sounded faint through the noise of the works, but she still heard him.

"No, I haven't," she answered. "Well, besides at the mall," she clarified.

"They're really pretty, aren't they? They're like Suzie," he laughed, his words meshing together slightly. El could tell that he was still decently drunk, as was the rest of the group. But Mike and herself had sobered up a decent amount since their time alone just under half an hour ago.

She recalled a conversation that she had had with Hopper during her time in the cabin, before Mike came back in her life. It was New Year's and the two of them were doing something relaxing; she couldn't remember exactly what, but it was most likely some kind of board game. They had played lots of those.

Then a loud boom had interrupted the tranquil silence of their evening, and she had been terrified. Hopper barely had any reaction toward the sound until he saw that she had started crying. When he saw what was happening, he had almost dropped his cutlery and reached across the table to grab her small hand with his large, rough fingers. "Kid? What's wrong?"

_She sniffed. "The noises," she whispered unsurely. "What are they?" _

"_Noises?" Hopper repeated, confused. Then he understood and nodded, blowing air out of his mouth. "Those are, uh… those are fireworks, kid."_

"_Fire...fire-works?"_

"_Yeah, they're these colourful rocket thingies you shoot in the sky and they explode and look really pretty. People use them when they're celebrating something."_

"_Ce-le-brate?"_

"_Yeah, celebrate. Like, uh… it's a special day today, and they're having fun because of it. It's New Year's."_

"_What's that?"_

"_You know the calendar on the fridge?" He pointed toward the fridge door and El saw the piece of paper pinned by a magnet to the door. She nodded._

"_Well, the calendar has three-hundred-and-sixty-five days on it. When all those days pass, a new year starts. It used to be 1983. It's going to be 1984 tomorrow."_

_El simply nodded in response. "And the next year will be 1985. Each time it goes up," Hopper continued. "You know that, right? You've seen it in your math work."_

"_Yes." _

_They continued to sit in silence, the only noise being the occasional echoes of the fireworks from town square from across town._

"_Maybe some time we can see some New Year's fireworks together. Maybe in a year or two I'll take you there."_

_El looked up, looking almost frightened. The idea of being so close to all that loud noise gave her an uneasy feeling. Hopper seemed to pick up on this and reached across the table to brush her knuckles with his fingertips reassuringly. "They're not scary. They're really cool, actually. You'll see, when I take you to see them some time."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Promise."_

"El? Are you okay?"

Her mind flashed back to her current position, on the patio of Steve's house. Looking over, she saw Mike looking back at her expectantly and concerned. "Yes, I was just thinking about something."

Mike nodded, and pulled her closer to him by wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She sighed and smiled, snuggling closer to his warm body and allowing his larger frame to envelope hers. Looking up at the sky, she realized that right now, everything was perfect.

"Hopper told me about fireworks a long time ago," she spoke aloud, to no one in particular. "He told me that one day, he would take me to see the one's on New Year's."

"Yeah, they're really nice," Max agreed. "I saw them last year."

Lucas looked confused. "With who?"

"Just myself," she replied. "I didn't really want to go with anyone back then." Max and Lucas then proceeded to get caught up in a conversation about fireworks and New Year's. El tuned them out and watched as Steve lit up the last one in the box and flew up, exploded, and then shimmered away magically.

"Well," Steve announced. "That was the last one. Let's pray no police show up." Everyone laughed at his joke, which might not have even been a joke, but all of them were sailing on a sea of liquor and happiness, and it was pure bliss to not have to worry about anything.

El became saddened after the last firework. She had really enjoyed watching them. But looking on the bright side, she realized that now she had an entire evening of being alone in a bed with Mike.

That was an appetizing thought.

But her disappointment from the fireworks ending must have shown on her face a little bit too much then she wanted, because then Dustin spoke. "Hey, don' look too glum, El," he cracked. "Maybe one day we'll find Hopper n' he can take you t'see those New Year's fireworks."

Mike choked on his breath. Dustin was drunk. And now he was about to completely reveal the truth about what happened with Hopper, and more importantly, about how he lied to her. He had no idea what he saw saying, probably. And if he did know what he was saying, than there was going to be an even bigger problem.

El looked at Dustin incredulously. Dustin was about to open his mouth again but Mike swooped in to try to save the situation. "Dustin!" he interrupted loudly. "What are you talking about? Stop talking about Hopper, I don't want-"

"No, whattaya talkin' about?" Dustin slurred, and only then did Mike realize that he was holding the entire bottle of whiskey in his hand. _Oh, Jesus. _"Hopper is still alive! You jus' told me not to tell El!"

_Shit, shit, shit, shit! _Mike left El's side and strode over to where Dustin was standing and leaned in close to him so he could whisper. "Dustin, shut the _fuck _up, man," he growled. He was too scared to look back at El, who he knew was probably already starting to piece together the puzzle.

Dustin blew a gust of air out of his mouth and into Mike's face, and he could smell the strong tang of the alcohol on his breath. "Mike, be quiet," he stumbled over his words, trying to nudge Mike away.

"Mike?" A small voice entered Mike's ear from behind him. He already knew what was coming, and he squeezed his eyes shut and gulped. He turned around slowly to look at El, and realized that everyone else in the group was staring at the two of them, not daring to say a word. His heart started to pound on his chest when he saw the hurt and angry look in El's eyes, the look he had seen many times before, but not usually directed at him.

"What is Dustin talking about?' she asked firmly, not breaking her intent stare, not even blinking. "Friends don't lie."

Mike licked his lips. What choice did he have? He could either confess now, and maybe she would even understand. Or he could dig himself even further down the rabbit hole. But that would just mean that when she _did _find out, it would be even worse. And Dustin was still standing beside him, and there was no way of knowing that if he did lie again, if he would just catch it and tell El the truth. It would probably be better if it came from anyway, not from one of his friends. Fuck!

"Uhhh," he began, swaying back and forth on his tippy toes. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! "There...might be a chance that Hopper is still alive. And… we found out from Will a while ago about it. His Mom never saw his body. So… there's a chance… a _chance_… that he might still be alive. We think. Maybe somewhere in Russia."

El was silent. Mike could not tell if she was upset or angry, so he chose to continue. "When Will told us, we didn't know if we should tell you about it or not. Some of us thought that you should know because...well, he was your Dad and stuff, and that you deserved to know. But some of us thought that it would be easier if we didn't tell you so that… so you could move on easier.

"And Dustin kinda spilled the beans here," he laughed nervously, hoping to draw at least a tiny reaction from El, but there was none. His heart continued to beat furiously in his rib cage, so hard that he thought he might pass out. "But, um… Dustin thinks that he could be alive somewhere, maybe some Russian prison or something, but.. We don't know. If he's dead. Or not."

He swallowed heavily, allowing El to digest what she had just been told. Her face was still expressionless, and with each passing millisecond Mike was getting more and more tense to the point that he was scrunching his toes together in his shoes. It was unbearable. She just had to say something, anything. Had she even been listening?

Her eyes were no longer focused on him, they were just simply glazed over and she was now just gazing into thin air. "El?" he asked, almost in a whisper. "Are you okay?" His question was met with more silence. It was killing him. He noticed that the rest of the group was starting to slowly back away, as if they were afraid of El suddenly exploding with them close to her. Mike took a few slow steps toward El, trying to get closer. She was looking at the floor now. It was impossible to read what she was feeling. What was she feeling? Was she feeling anything? What was wrong?

"El?" Mike reached a hand out to touch her but she quickly took a step back. _No. No, no, no no no no… _"El?" he repeated taking another step closer, but she took another step back. The situation was slipping through his fingers like grains of sand. He tried to hug her but El reached up and pushed his arms away, still not meeting his eye. Her lip was shaking and her eyes were starting to tear up.

Holy shit, was she really that upset? What was going on? He was getting more and more terrified by the second. He wasn't going to lose her again, not like this. Not because of some stupid lie. She opened her mouth. "I…" she trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

"El, please-"

"No," she said quietly, starting to walk away.

"El, I can explain-"

"Go away."

"There was a reason, I just thought-"

"NO!" she screamed, her voice ripping through the cool forest air like a machete. "Leave me alone!" She was crying now, completely and utterly.

And with that, she took off, running into the woods.

**Alright guys, what do you think? Things are gonna get a little bit bumpy as we approach the whole moving plot line etc. Again, the reviews are always greatly appreciated. They push me to get this stuff done for you quicker, so if you like what you're reading, please let me know! I love all you guys. Take it easy :) **


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys, I'm back. I'm really sorry about the long wait, school has been crazy ever since I posted the last chapter. But I worked really hard to finish all the homework I had yesterday, so I'm focusing on writing for the rest of the weekend. I might be able to get the next chapter out soon. Let me know how badly you want it in the reviews :)**

**Also, I'd like to give you guys a brief heads-up about this chapter; it's pretty intense and there's a lot of upsetting things going on. One of the things that I realized about the last episode of S3 was how awkward Mike and El were together. Something had happened since Starcourt and when they left, and a whole bunch of people had thought of reasons why. This is my take on why they were awkward, or at least the beginning of it. We're kind of approaching the end of this "part" of the story. After the move, there's a whole new platform for me to work with, which I'm really excited about. As I've said, I plan to be invested in this story for the long run, so make sure to drop a follow!**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: I don't think she is...**

**Guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad your enjoying it. Let me know what you think of this chapter!**

**HarleyGrove: Thank you! Yeah, it was pretty out of the blue, wasn't it?**

**Vader115: Yup :(**

**Guest: Don't worry, I assure you it will end well for them.**

**Guest: Let's see...**

**Luna0605: I guess we will see about when Joyce tells El about the move. I'm still thinking about how I want to play that. I hope you stick around to see it!**

**Julliak: Yeah... let's see how he does in this chapter!**

As soon as El turned away from Mike was already moving toward her even faster than he was before. And then she started to run, quickly putting one foot in front of the other and not looking back. On instinct, like a magnet in his heart was pulling him, he took off as well. He ignored the calls and protests from his friends telling him to stop and leave her alone, or to give her space. No, he wouldn't do that. He had to get to El and tell her what was going on. He had to tell that the lie he told was something that he did for her own good. It was something he did so he wouldn't have to see her in constant pain for the rest of her life, waiting for Hopper to return when he never would.

But he knew that El would not be so reasonable; she was brimming with emotion, he knew that. And he knew that she was fuming at him right now for lying. He also knew that above all, she was a woman. And women operate based on emotions, not logic. But hopefully he could make her see his logic for doing what he did.

El was surprisingly fast, and as they reached the woods, Mike was having a hard time keeping up. But as soon as they reached denser trees, he was proven to be the faster runner. El's still healing leg might have helped, too.

"El!" he called out in desperation as he started to close the distance. "El, wait!" She still didn't stop, and kept trying to maintain the gap in between them. "El, please, wait up!" He finally caught up with her and grabbed her shoulders. She whirled around and did something that he never thought she would ever do in a million years.

She slapped him. _Hard. _

His heart stung more than the side of his face. Shock spread through his entire body. As he moved his hand up to feel the place where his skin was throbbing, he looked at her face and felt sick to his stomach. Her eyes were red and puffy, and there were tears splashed all over her eyelids and cheeks. Her mouth seemed to be frozen in something between a scowl and an expression that he couldn't even put his finger on; a face of pure sadness and anger and betrayal. It was gut wrenching.

"El, I…"

"Shut up, Mike," she spat at him, and turned around again.

"I can explain, I was just-"

"_No!_" she screamed at him, turning on her heel to look him dead in the eye. "You always said friends don't lie. But you keep _lying_!"

"But I only lied because-"

"You lied about your nana in July. You said that you would never lie again. But you _did_! You lied _again_!"

"But-"

"I don't care why! You lied! Friends don't lie! Boyfriends don't lie! Girlfriends don't lie! I _never_ lie to you!" Her voice was breaking, she could no longer fight the tears that were streaming down her face. She was gasping for air.

"W-why would you lie about H-H-Hopper? Why would you not tell me that my d-dad could be alive? All this time I thought he was dead!" she yelled, her voice catching in her throat over and over again.

"Because I thought that you would get past him sooner! I didn't want to see you in pain for longer than I had to? Don't you understand? If you had thought he was alive, you'd spend the rest of your life waiting for him to come back when he never will!"

El recoiled like she had struck. He suddenly realized what he had said. He immediately started back pedaling. "El, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that.."

"Why would it be so bad if I _did _spend the rest of my life waiting for him?! Just knowing that he might be alive gives me at least some hope! All I've felt for the whole summer is just a pit in my stomach that no one else can fill!"

"What are you talking about!?" Mike yelled back. He was growing frustrated. Why was El behaving so irrationally? Could she not see the sense in his actions. And she had fucking _hit _him! What the fuck was wrong with her? "You've been fine!"

"And how the fuck would you know!? All you've been trying to do is have sex with me! At least Hopper cared! At least Hopper didn't _lie_!"

"He lied to you about everything! He was the one who made me lie to you in the first place!" Mike screamed back, tears clouding his vision and anger fury (with both El and himself) clouding his mind. He felt like he was past the point of getting her to calm down, and right now he was trying to defend himself, because it was clear that she was now being irrational. And the fact that she was saying all these things to him made him feel like there was an icicle being driven straight through his soul. How was he being compared to Hopper right now, after he went out of his way to break them up? Why was she being so mad at him for something as small as a little white lie?

"Maybe he realized what a shitty person you are!" El shrieked in rage. "Maybe he wanted me to spend some time with other people, like Max!"

"Okay, then go spend some more fucking time with Max!" Mike yelled throwing his arms

up in the air. "Just get out of my face!" He was panting, adrenaline firing through his body. He had never been more angry in his life. His throat was burning, having been ripped raw from his shouting. He was sure that every animal in the entire forest was running away from their position.

El stared back at him, her eyes wet and chest heaving equally as hard as Mike's. The look in her eyes was something he had never seen before. If she still had her powers, he was positive that she would have used them to throw him against a tree or something by now. But fortunately, that would not be the case. After staring at him for a few more moments, he she turned around without a word and walked away quickly.

Mike watched her beautiful figure slowly dissipate into the shadows until he could no longer see her. He waited until she was out of immediate earshot, and that's when he let go. The lump in his throat that was so large it felt like he could have vomited finally erupted and he collapsed to his knees. All the pent up anger and helplessness and frustration and sadness was released in an instant with a blood-curdling scream that made it feel like his vocal cords were being shredded. It was a cry of pure pain and rage. Rage at Dustin for getting drunk like some fucking alcoholic and blabbering to El about Hopper; rage at El for being so unreasonable and slapping him and treating him so poorly; and most of all, rage with himself for lying. For not chasing after El, for not trying harder to convince her that it wasn't his fault. And now the girl that he loved more than anything was walking out of his life. Except this time it was not because of Hopper, or anyone else. It was because of him. Because of her.

This truly felt like the end of what they had. And all he felt was just a sinking feeling of despair that incomparable to anything he had ever felt before. He felt the tears run down his cheeks and watched them fall onto the dry summer forest floor. What was he going to do? Was he going to go back to Steve's? Was he going to go home? Was he going to go to the Byers'? He did not know.

With a clenched jaw and bared teeth, he flung himself up from his knees and strided toward a tree. He stared at it, his vision seeming to be flashing red, sirens in his mind wailing. He let out another savage yell and punched the tree as hard as he could. He barely felt a thing. But he felt his skin split open, and he could now feel a warm, sticky wetness trickling in between his fingers and knuckles.

Pacing back and forth, he made up his mind about what to do.

He turned back to the direction that he had come from and started to walk quickly toward Steve's house. He wiped his eyes furiously, he did not want to look like some kind of pussy in front of all the rest of his friends. The only person that he felt comfortable to cry like this in front of was El. And thinking about crying in front of El just made him more angry, and once again his heart started to pound in his ribcage, which seemed to be in sync with the involuntary contractions of his fists.

The Harrington house came into view, the lights on the patio illuminating the edge of the forest. As he got closer, he was able to make out the rest of his friends are still standing by the pool, anxiously looking in his general direction, with arms crossed or over their heads in worry. He pushed his way through some low-hanging branches and made himself visible to the rest of the Party. Steve was the first to notice him, and he immediately started to make his way over to the disheveled looking boy.

Concern flashed across his face when he saw Mike. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and his hands were balled into fists so tight his knuckles were turning white. And speaking of knuckles, one of them looked fucked up pretty good; it looked like he was going to need stitches.

"Jesus Christ, Mike, what happened?" Steve asked, his voice laced with worry. This was _not _how this night was supposed to go. Mike ignored his question and continued his pace toward his target. Steve ignored it and continued talking while walking beside him. "It looks like you might need some ice or something for that hand, yeah? Want me to get you some? I'm gonna go get you some." Without waiting for a reply, he darted back into the house, tripping slightly on his way up the short flight of stars.

As he got closer to the center of the deck, his eyes focused on one thing. The voices of his friends all got drowned out, as if he was hearing them from underwater. His face bent itself into a snarl and without hesitation, he reeled back and swung his closed, bloodied fist right into the face of Dustin.

It was a good punch, he had to admit. There was a lot more give than when he had hit the tree. Except this time he had felt a lot more pain because he had already hit a tree, but he just simply winced and ignored it. He had caught him right in the jaw; he had never been in a fight before, but he knew there was a nerve there that, if hit, would send a person straight to the ground. (He read that in a book his Mom had gotten him when he was younger so that he could defend himself from bullies like Troy.)

And like the book had said, Dustin slumped over and fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He fell back and landed on his back looking dazed and nearly unconscious, his head tilting back swaying side to side. Mike was still flaming with anger, and was about to get on top of him and continue, but before he could two pairs of arms were wrapped around his body and were pulling him away from Dustin.

"Mike! Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"That piece of shit told El everything!" Mike screamed with rage, on the verge of delirium. "She fucking slapped me!"

"Okay, fine, but that's not Dustin's fault!" Will yelled, struggling to pin his friend's arm down. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the rest of them, Dustin was finding his own way off the ground. He lifted his hand to feel his jaw, where there was already a swollen bump and a lot of soreness. He tasted blood in his mouth and realized that he had bitten down on his tongue when he had fallen probably. And then he was on his feet again, having been sobered up from being punched in the fucking face.

He moved toward Mike and his two friends who were still yelling at one another, both of Mike's hands being restrained by the boys. WIthout hesitation, Dustin balled up his right fist and swung it upward right into his opponents sternum. Mike gasped and folded like a piece of paper, his mouth agape but with no air coming in or out. He rolled onto his side, sucking in stuttery and uneven breaths.

Lucas and Will stumbled back after witnessing Mike fall, both of them too stunned to even piece together a sentence. Max had been standing on the sidelines the whole time, observing the situation with wide eyes and thumping heart. It occurred to her that El was probably alone in the woods somewhere, so she took advantage of the ruckus and dashed toward the trees before anyone could see her.

"Dustin, calm the fuck down!" Lucas shouted, moving toward him with his arms raised.

"Piss off, Lucas," Dustin spat, and slapped his hands away only to be met with Will, who was standing in between him and Mike.

"Dustin, back off," he said, trying to sound intimidating. But he was nearly half a foot shorter than Dustin and was probably fifty pounds less, and both of them knew that. But all Dustin could focus on was the taste of coppery blood in his mouth and the pounding in his jaw, and how badly he wanted to give Mike what was coming to him.

Mike had positioned himself in such a way that he was facing away from the kerfuffle, and he still appeared to be balled up in the fetal position. Dustin shoved Will out of the way and he fell down, and he moved toward Mike. But when he got within a few feet, Mike sprang from the ground and plowed into Dustin head on. Between his height and Dustin's extra weight the two were fairly matched, but neither seemed to be able to overpower the other.

Just when it looked like Dustin had a stable hold on Mike's legs and was about to flip him over, Steve and Robin came charging out from the backdoor, yelling and screaming for them to stop. Neither of them paid any attention until Steve was right there and yanked them apart.

"Holy fuck!" Steve screeched, his voice an octave higher than usual. "What the fuck are you guys doing?!"

"He punched me in the fucking face for no fucking reason!" Dustin shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Mike.

"He told El about how I lied and Hopper could be alive, and she broke up with me! For real this time!" he screamed back, trying to hide his tears but failing. He was hoping that it was dark enough so that they wouldn't see, but he was not so lucky.

"What, are you fucking crying now?" Dustin mocked. "Fucking wimp. Are you sad that El isn't going to be able to suck you off anymore, or what?"

"_Shut up_!" Mike bellowed, and ran into Dustin and tacked him onto the ground like a football player. Then both of them were on the ground again, throwing blind punches and grabbing body parts with little success.

Steve was pushed back his breaking point and, taking advantage of his greateer strength, grabbed Mike by his shoulders and yanked him backward so hard his feet nearly left the ground. He placed himself in between the two panting teens and stretched his arms out to keep them apart.

"Dustin. Get the fuck in the house. Mike stay out here. Lucas, Will, you guys split up. You can go wherever you want." Everyone was silent for a moment, before Dustin spat out another spew of blood onto the deck and walked into the house. Lucas and Will exchanged glances and decided who was going where without speaking. Lucas went in to join Dustin and Steve in the house, and Will stayed back with Mike and Robin.

Mike watched menacingly as Dustin disappeared into the house, followed by Steve and Lucas, who were both talking to one another, but Mike couldn't hear their exact words. As soon as the door closed, he finally let himself go and broke into another round of tears. He collapsed into the chair behind him and put his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking and chest heaving.

After taking a shaky breath in, he rubbed his face hard downward, and looked up to face Will, who was staring at him. "What happened?" he asked, looking worried for his friend.

Mike wiped his swollen eyes again, trying to not look too upset in front of Will, but he knew his efforts would be in vain. He stared at him. "El's mad at me. Really mad," he said. "That you lied? Or what you lied about?"

"Both," he said. "And I said some things that I shouldn't have."

"Like what?"

Mike stared into space, not knowing if he should tell him. "Just some stuff about Hopper," he settled with.

"Damn," he said, not knowing what else to respond with. It occurred to him that in not even twelve more hours he would have to go back to his house, where El would most certainly be. That would put him in awkward situation. His best friend had just been probably heart broken by some girl that was now living with him. He had never really considered the long term results of living with El; sure, he liked her (as a friend, of course) and was grateful for her doing everything that she had done for her friend group. But if the day that her and Mike ever broke up would one day come, what would he do? Just continue to live with the girl that Mike would undoubtedly hate? _I'll think about it when the time comes_, he thought.

"Look, I'm sure you guys will figure stuff out, Mike," he reasoned. "You did last time. She's just angry. Once she's cooled off, you guys will make up."

"Will, you don't understand," Mike cried out in despair. "She fucking slapped me. She slapped me in the fucking face!" he screamed. "She doesn't want anything to do with me anymore!"

"Mike that's bullcrap, and you know that. You guys are in love!"

"You don't know that," Mike huffed, burying his face back into his sweaty palms. Mike did love El. He knew that he did. But he had never been sure if El had loved him; he was too nervous to ask, and to worried to tell her that he loved her for fear of her not saying it back. But he was sure that she didn't, or never would, love him now.

"Not anymore," Mike said, and got out of his chair. He started to walk toward the front of the house.

"Where are you going?" Will asked exasperatedly, throwing his arms out and letting them fall at his sides. "It's fucking dark, Mike. You can't walk home." He was growing frustrated, Mike was acting like an idiot.

"I'm not planning on going home. I just need to get out of here," he sighed, zipping up his hoodie up a little bit tighter.

"So you're just gonna walk around on the road?"

"Yeah. And don't try to stop me."

Will stared at him, upset and frustrated. But he knew that no matter how hard he tried, Mike was not going to budge. He knew him well; he was stubborn, bordering on arrogant at times, and if he wanted to do this then that was what he was going to do.

"Fine," he muttered. "Just… try to stay safe, okay?"

"Uh-huh," he mumbled, and turned to walk toward the front walk.

Mike found himself walking along the dirt road by Mirkwood. He was getting hit with waves of flash, but not the good kind. This was the exact place Will had disappeared over a year ago. This was the place where him, Lucas, and Dustin had ventured out to find their friend. They were just twelve years back then. Now it had been two years, and so much had changed. But was it for the better or for the worse?

He had met El; the most important person in his life. The girl who he had fallen in love with within less than a week, the girl that he had waited for for nearly a year to come back, the girl that he made spent hours making out with every day for the last seven months. That was good. There was also no doubt that the experience had certainly brought him and the rest of the guys closer together, but at what cost? A large one, clearly.

Hopper was dead; the town's chief of police was no longer around. Billy was dead. Bob was dead. Barbara and other kids from last year were dead. So many people had died. The town had been touched with tragedy. Twice. The mall was burned down. His life for a year and a half had felt like a dream that he would never wake up from.

He inhaled deeply and tried to collect his thoughts. What was he going to do with El? Maybe he should just back off for a little bit. It wouldn't help for him to go running at her now, he would just get slapped. His best chance would be for him to wait for at least a day, and then go back to her. If he explained everything again, with more detail, when they were both more calm, she would understand, right? There was no reason for her not too. And for all he knew, perhaps she had already thought about it and realized that he was right.

Now that she knew about Hopper, she would be waiting for him to come back for the rest of her life. And she had lost her powers, so there was no way for her to go into the void to find him. If she had had her powers, than that would have been the first thing to do. But no; they didn't have that option.

So she would be stuck in a pit, a pit of hope that she would never get out of. And all because of fucking Dustin. Fuck. He felt his blood start pumping harder as soon as he thought of him. God damn it. Everything was going fine. Him and El probably could have been having sex in the bedroom by this time. They had been drunk and happy, and that time they had been having before the fireworks started happening had been… magical. There bare skin pressed against each other, moving and grinding together, being able to feel and see her naked front had been… fucking beautiful.

And now he wasn't sure if he wasn't sure if he was ever going to experience that again. Would he ever hear her laugh or see her smile? Would he ever get to answer any of her questions about the world? Would he ever get to hug her and breath in her smell and run his hands through her hair? Would they ever make out, or even exchange little pecks on the lips when they said hi or good-bye? Would they ever more forward in their relationship?

He didn't know.

**And that's it. I hope you guys didn't find it too upsetting, but I assure you, things end well for them. (As you saw in the show.) But just know that there is a bumpy road ahead. As always drop a review, they encourage me a lot and let me know that you guys are liking what you see! Take it easy guys, love you all 3**

**PS. I apologize for any typos, didn't want to reread everything again. Just wanted to get this as soon as possible XD**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys, it's back! I tried to get this chapter out quickly, because I don't know what school holds until Christmas break finally roles around. But I can guess that end-of-semester projects will take up a lot of time. So here you guys go; brace yourself, this is a tough one. The next few chapters are going to have this taste, for the most part. I hope you enjoy :)**

**Guest 1: Well, I can see why you may think that, but I assure you that I have a different plan. I'm not exactly sure about the details, but I can tell you that it will not be a one sided apology. Thanks for being so civil, though :)**

**Luna0603: Thank you so much! It was important to me to get the fight just right. I'm glad that it did justice. I'm loving your work with TTWAS, btw. Can't wait for the next chapter :)**

**Guest 2: Thank you! Brace yourself for more pain though, haha**

**Vader115: I hope you're at least somewhat happy with these chapters, haha! Enjoy this one :)**

**Bb7979: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter.**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: I'm glad I was able to get that type of emotion out! I wanted that fight to be as horrible as possible (I'm evil, I know). In regards to what will happen to her, guess we will have to see...**

**Guest 3: Thank you so much! It's good that some people are more ****nonsensical****, haha. you'll be glad to know that, yes, I do plan on diverting from the cliche that we saw in saw in season 3. I hope you like this chapter!**

El crashed into her room as quickly as she could and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted and emotionally empty. She had ran all the way from Steve's to her house, and she had been crying the whole time. Her hair was blown in all directions and her elbows and knees were scraped because she had fallen a couple times; navigating through the dark forest had not been easy. Her eyes felt dry, like the tear ducts had been drained so much they were like a desert.

She was cold too; the temperature had drastically dropped, and she had not dressed to be outside at nearly three o'clock in the morning. She glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand and read the time. _Three-three-two_, she saw. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. She had been quiet coming in, so she wouldn't be having to deal with Joyce later in the night. It was just her and her thoughts.

It seemed like the running had sort of distracted her from what was actually going on, because as soon as she had flopped onto her mattress everything seemed to be rushing back at her. It made her feel sick, like she was going to throw up. All the things he had said. All the things that _she _had said… she didn't know which one made her more upset.

Mike had said all those things about Hopper. His face flashed through her mind, replaying the moment over and over and over again until it felt like she wanted to tear her hair out. _He'll never come back. He lied to you about everything, _he had said to her. To some degree, what he had said was true. Hopper had lied about her to a lot of things, but they had moved past that. And since then, she had come to realize that Hopper was probably right for keeping her away for that long. He only did it because he wanted to protect her. The Bad Men were looking for her, and Hopper needed to protect her. He fed her, gave her a home, taught her things… he was just being a good Dad.

A Dad that was gone.

Or not. The recent development had recently thrown a monkey wrench into the mix. Mike had said that they kept it from her to help her, but she didn't see how that helped her at all. She felt lied to and deceived. She had been lied to her entire life. To lie to her about something like this… it was infuriating.

What if Hopper was somewhere trapped, looking for her, waiting to be rescued? Waiting to be found? What if he was in the Upside-Down, or Russia? She didn't even know where Russia was, but she knew that it was a different country across the ocean. Far away. Her mind continued to flood with thoughts in ideas, each one coming and going so fast she could barely pick them out individually. Would she be able to find Hopper if she went into the void?

She crawled out of her lying position on her bed and went to her dresser. She pulled out the door where she kept her socks and underwear and gazed on the long black cloth. It had been sitting there, untouched, for over a month. What was the reason for her not using it? She didn't even know herself. Perhaps it was fear for what would happen. Fear for if it would even work. She knew that her powers were gone, but part of her was still in denial. It was better to just not try to use them and imagine that they were still there then to try to use them and find out that they were truly gone.

It was still unknown if they would ever even come back; it was not like she could go see a doctor about this sort of thing. She would never get any advice on this matter, and it made her frustrated. As much as she didn't want to admit it, her powers were a huge part of who she was. They made her feel safe and protected, and they allowed her to make sure that her friends were safe and protected, which was even more important. And for the last month, she had felt so exposed and insecure and vulnerable to whatever threats that could be out there.

Now was not the time to second guess herself. She had to know if Hopper was out there. And even if it didn't work, what would be that worst that could happen?

Grabbing the dark piece of fabric, she padded back toward her bed and sat down with a loud and nervous sigh. As she tied it around her eyes, she found hands and fingers to be shaking. Her heart was pounding. Why was she so nervous?

After her vision had completely disappeared, she forced her hands to stay still and folded them in her lap. She sat up farther on her head and crossed her legs, trying to clear her mind. It was difficult; the argument with Mike was still flashing through her mind. But for the sake of her Dad, she forced all of that out for now and focused on absolutely nothing.

She didn't know how long she sat like that; it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. Maybe Joyce was going to knock on her door any minute and drag her out for breakfast before she even made any progress.

But progress was not being made. She sat there, staring into nothing, but not ever feeling

the familiar sensation of a thin sheet of water in her toes, or temperature-less pit of nothing. No echoes of familiar voices around her, no figures or objects. Her expression became strained as she pictured Hopper in her mind as clearly as she could. The cloth started to dampen with her tears as she tried to recall experiences that would jumpstart her powers; she found that in times of need they would always protect her, no matter what.

Finding her in the woods. Cleaning the cabin. Dancing to Jim Croce. Playing cards and board games late at night. Watching old Westerns. Seeing Miami Vice for the first time. Making Eggo extravaganzas in the morning for breakfast. All the hugs and kisses on the forehead. All the times he smiled at her and said, "it's gonna be okay, kid."

But nothing came.

She tore off the blindfold and bit on her lips as hard as she could to withhold the gut wrenching scream of frustration that she wanted to let out so badly. But she didn't want to wake Joyce. She didn't want to be a nuisance.

Instead, she threw the piece of fabric across the room and crawled into her bed and buried herself deep into the sheets.

And cried.

Never in her life and she felt like this before. It felt like she was on the verge of throwing up, but not from being sick. At least not the kind of sick that you usually think of. The kind of sick you get after watching a loved one die right in front of you. Because right now, that's what it felt like. Recalling all of those experiences with Hopper and hoping to see him, only to be spat on in return and be greeted by her empty, lonesome room was like reliving his death all over again. Except this time, it felt she had watched him die.

She had no shoulder to cry on except her own. Burying her face into the sheets, she tried to force herself to stop, but she couldn't. The tears and anger and hurt and frustration and fear and sadness continued to pour out of her like a damn with a gaping hole in it. She felt paralyzed. Like there was nothing more that could happen that could possibly make her feel worse than she already did.

All she felt was cold.

* * *

Mike fished the spare key out from the bushes in the back garden and slid it into the keyhole of the back basement door. Turning the key, the lock clicked and he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The cool basement felt amazing in contract with the hot August evening that he been trudging through for nearly an hour. It had been a strange experience walking down Mirkwood by himself for so long. It gave him a lot of time to think about what happened.

Yet he had not made any decision about what he was going to do. It seemed like, rather than trying to figure out how to mend things with El, he had spent the better part of his walk simply replaying the fight in his mind. Over and over and over until he felt dizzy. He dropped his backpack as his feet and collapsed onto the soft sofa and closed his eyes. Under normal circumstances, his exhaustion would have caused him to pass out within seconds. But his brain was too alive for him to even think about sleep.

So he lay there on the couch, his feet hanging off the edge. He reached up to rub his eyes, that were sore and dried out from all the tears that he had shed since he left the house. What was he going to do?

His mind had had some time to cool down a little bit since he left the house. His initial anger had subsided slightly, and now he was also thinking about Dustin, and how he had punched him in the face. With a grimace, he looked down at his knuckles that had blood caked on them. Probably from Dustin's nose. He had landed a pretty good hit there during their brawl. He heaved himself off the couch and dragged his feet to the bathroom and closed the doors when he got in. He gazed at himself in the mirror.

He looked like shit, to say the least. His eyes were bloodshot and red and wet, and he had a cut just above his temple that had split open and blood had leaked from the wound down his face and onto his cheek. Some had gotten on his clothes, which he was going to have to explain to his Mom. He supposed there wasn't any need to mince words with her; he could just tell her flat out what happened. With the exception of El, of course. He would just tell her that him and Dustin got into a fight, and that he didn't want to talk about it. That would work, right?

He turned the tap on and rubbed the cold water over his hands. It stung slightly, but it felt like nothing in comparison to everything else that was going on. After cupping his hands together and letting some water accumulate in his palms, he leaned down and dunked his face in the miniature pool. He kept his face in there for a moment before rising out and blowing some water droplets out of his mouth. There was still some dried up blood that was stuck near his gash, so he raised his right hand and rubbed around the spot tendery, wincing at every small movement.

Once he had finished cleaning up all the blood, he looked in the mirror again, but he still looked terrible. Just less bloody. The bags under his eyes were very pronounced; it was high time that he went to bed, but he still had some thinking to do. He had to put together a course of action about how he was going to pull everything back together.

Mending his relationship with Dustin would be easy, he guessed. Just so long as he apologized. Even he could see that they were both wrong to do what he did. Punching him was definitely out of line. But him getting so drunk that he couldn't control what he was saying was also out of line. He was sure that Dustin would see the sense in that.

After all, men operated on logic, and women operated on feelings.

But did Dustin really deserve to be forgiven so easily for what he had done? He could very well have completely ruined their relationship, and because of what? A bottle of whiskey and his own irresponsibility. He shook his head and decided to think about it tomorrow.

He started getting a sense of deja vu from when him and Lucas got in that fight way back in seventh grade when El had used her powers to mess up their compasses. He smiled. It was a stupid fight, and of course it had happened because they were looking for their missing best friend, but it represented something more. When they were younger, it seemed so much smaller. It was just the Demogorgon. Now, everything was so much bigger.

And he remembered how El had thrown Lucas off him to protect him, because she cared about him. Even after only a few days of knowing one another, their bond had become undeniable. But right now, it seemed to be slipping through his fingers like grains of sand, and he was helpless to stop it. Everything that they had built together for so long was fading away.

Mike was too empty to start crying again, so he just sat there on the couch. He sat there for a while longer doing nothing in particular before drifting into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

It was six o'clock in the morning when Will opened the front door and stepped in his house. He had been walking for a long time and had not gotten a minute of sleep the entire night, and it felt like he could collapse on the ground any minute. His knees and eyelids felt heavy, but still he held on, just long enough for him to get to his own bedroom (where Jonathan was absent from) before he flopped on the mattress. He threw off his clothes and got under the sheets in just his boxers because he was too lazy to do anything else.

He groaned when he realized that he had not made sure if El had gotten back safely. With a stifled sigh, he dragged himself out from underneath the covers and tiptoed down t he hall toward El's bedroom. Opening the door carefully, he peered inside and saw the crack of early morning light shining on her sleeping figure. He exhaled in relief knowing that she had gotten home alright.

After settling back into his own bed, he pondered the events that had occurred. His best friend was at war with his step-sister and other best friend (even though he considered Mike to be his number one best friend). That raised a lot of problems. For one, his two really good friends hated each other right now, and being friends with two people who are against one another never ended well for anyone. In fact, the same went for him and El. He considered himself to be a lot closer to El now, since they had that conversation a week or so ago. And of course, he was stuck in the middle of all of it.

He supposed there was really no single person to pin all the blame on; from what he had gathered last night, mistakes were made on both sides. But that also meant apologies would have to be made on both sides would have to be made too. He doubted that the Dustin-Mike fight would be a long standing issue; the Party (the original Party, before El and Max) had been best friends for years. It was likely that they would shake on it within a week.

El and Mike, however… that seemed like it could be a problem.

Will couldn't even remember the last time he had seen Mike emotional over anything. He had heard from his Mom that the moment him and El were reunited at his house when he was possessed had been very intense. From the way she talked about it, maybe these two events were comparable. But he still doubted that it could have surpassed this. He had been hysterical when he came back. Not to mention his hand was all bloody, even before he had hit Dustin. Did that mean he hit El? No, there was no way he could have done that.

Mike had said El had even slapped him in the face. He shuddered at the thought. If she had had her powers, he would have been a lot worse off, for sure. But instead she had just hit him. Was that better or worse?

He was willing to bet that it was worse. In all honesty, he just felt bad for both of them. He felt bad for Mike because he had only been trying to do what was best for El; he did have to admit, her not knowing about the truth about Hopper probably would have given her a lot more closure and happiness. And it looked like that goal was being achieved. From what he had seen, El had been doing very well (considering everything). And now everything had just been flipped around and turned upside down for her. In many respects, it was a good idea for Mike and the rest of them to have kept that truth from her.

But on the other hand, had it even been fair to lie to El for all that time. There had to be some line to draw at a certain point. It couldn't possibly be ethical to just lie and lie to someone just to preserve happiness. Then it would just be an illusion, false happiness. And that kind of happiness could be broken in an instant, as they all knew from what had happened. If she had known in the beginning, maybe it would have been better that way.

There was no way to know now. What was done was done. And all Will knew was that he was feeling very confused about the entire situation. His thoughts became hazy as his mind lulled off into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

Dustin woke up to a throbbing headache. It felt like a drum was being pounded in his brain, hammering against his skull a thousand times a minute. He groaned and looked around. After finding himself on the couch in Steve's living room, he flopped his head back down onto the pillow and rubbed his face. _So this is what it feels like to be hung over. _

Nice. This is exactly what he needed right now. He suddenly heard footsteps approaching him from the other side of the room. His head felt too heavy to even turn around, so he waited until the noise had stopped before opening his eyes. "Hey, Dusty-bun," Steve greeted mockingly. "How you feeling?"

"Like shit," Dustin grumbled, still keeping his eyes closed. "It feels like a native tribe is performing a ritual inside my fucking head."

"Ah," Steve sympathized. "The tribes. I know what you mean," he nodded slowly, looking at him.

"I can't go home like this," Dustin cried out in distress. "This is a fucking nightmare."

Steve snorted. "A hangover is the least of your problems right now, Henderson."

"What do you mean?"

Steve rolled his eyes. He was getting flashbacks to Tina's party and Nancy getting drunk. "What do you remember from last night?"

He scrunched his eyes together and tried to recall the events that had transpired. It was hazy. "I remember having some shots," he began, sounding unsure of himself. "I remember talking with everyone, watching some fireworks… I got into some fight with Mike over something… I can't remember what. And that's it."

Steve raised his eyebrows and clicked his tongue. "Fuck," he murmured under his teeth. "This isn't good."

Dustin's heartbeat started to accelerate. What had happened? It had to have been something that involved Mike. "Is it about Mike? It's about Mike, isn't it?"

"It's about a lot of things, Henderson."

"Just cut the crap and tell me what happened last night, Steve!" Dustin's tone of voice sharpened, he was growing impatient. He needed to know what had happened. And if he had done.

"You blabbed about Hopper possibly being alive to El," Steve disclosed. "El found out that Mike lied about it. They got into a huge fight, Mike hates you for blabbing, and everything has just gone to shit."

**There we go! As always, send me a review, it's very gratifying to see how many people are enjoying this fic. And if you've been hanging around for a little while, it's always nice to see my number of followers increase! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, but no promises. Take it easy and take care guys :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello guys, welcome back! Sorry for the wait on this chapter, I've been busy with a lot of other stuff. I don't really have much to say other than thank you for last chapter's reviews, I'm glad to see you guys are feeling the way that I want you guys to feel reading these chapters. I hope you all enjoy this one!**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: Haha, I'll take that as a good thing! I'm glad you're enjoying it. I appreciate all of your reviews!**

**Vader115: Yeahhh, we are gonna be dealing with a lost of angst in the next couple chapters. Hopefully this chapter fixes some of it though :)**

**Luna0603: Yeah, I'm doing my best to balance how everyone is feeling. This story is Mike-and-El centered, but there are other characters that I like to think about too. The good news is, the mending process sort of begins with this chapter, so let's see how that goes! Also you're welcome, I'm looking forward to the next chapter of TTWAS.**

El woke up to the smell of pancake batter and bacon. Despite herself, she smiled at the aroma. Either Joyce knew that something was wrong, or she was just lucky. Drawn by the scent, she crawled out of her bed and slowly went toward the kitchen. She still felt half asleep. On her way she passed Will's bedroom and saw that he was still out cold. She assumed that he had not had too much sleep. She quietly closed his door and continued toward the source of the mouth-water smell.

When Joyce saw her turn the corner she gave her a warm smile. El smiled back and nodded shyly. "Hey, sweetie," she greeted. "You got home early last night?"

El was confused for a brief moment. _Oh_. She had gotten home at nearly three o'clock last night, but Joyce thought she had just walked home really early. Should she tell her the truth about really happened? No, not yet.

"Yes," she lied smoothly. "We woke up kind of early."

"Why's that?" Joyce asked with a raised eyebrow, wondering why a bunch of teens would

choose to wake up early when they could have slept in.

El had to think fast. "We ended up going to bed early, I guess. We were tired from swimming in his pool." She was surprised even at herself with how clean her fib was. Joyce didn't even blink.

"Ah," she replied. "Yeah, swimming definitely drains you, doesn't it?" El nodded. "Well, I made some blueberry pancakes. I hope they're good, I've never really made them before," she admitted with a chuckle.

"Thank you," El replied politely, and sat down in one of the chairs at the table and grabbed the cutlery from either side of her plate.

"Did you and Will walk home together?" Joyce asked.

_Shit. _"Yes, we did," El replied after a moment's hesitation. She would have to inform Will of the so they could keep consistent. "I guess he was more tired than me," she added with a shrug. Joyce silently nodded and sat down beside her, tucking into her own pancakes.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "You seem… off."

"'Off?'" El repeated quizzically. She was not quite sure what she meant by that.

"Not right," Joyce clarified. "Is anything bothering you?"

El paused. Was she being that obvious? Or was Joyce just really good with this sort of thing? It might have been a combination of both. Either way, she still wasn't ready to disclose what had happened at Steve's. "Is everything okay with Mike?"

That snapped her out of her trance. "Yes," she replied automatically, almost too much so.

"Are you sure? El, you can talk to-"

"I said it's fine," El snapped harshly, flicking her head to meet Joyce's concerned gaze. El cleared her throat, kicking herself for being so defensive. "Sorry," she mumbled, not meeting her eyes. She felt awkward. "I guess I'm just… tired or something."

Joyce pursed her lips and nodded, taking the hint that El didn't want to talk, and that something was clearly on her mind.

And she was willing to bet anything that it had something to do with Mike.

Joyce watched El shovel the last bits of pancakes into her mouth before disappearing into her room. She called out thanks on her way down the hall, to which Joyce replied with "you're welcome." Once she had disappeared out of earshot, Joyce sighed and placed her head in her hands. Great. The last thing she needed was drama between El and Mike right around the time she was planning to tell her about the move. She had found a house in a suburb in Chicago for a good price. It had 3 bedrooms, meaning Jonathan and Will would have to share and her and El could have seperate rooms. But Jonathan was going to leave for school soon, so Will would probably have his own room most of the time.

Two bathrooms, a decent enough yard, good neighbourhood, it was all perfect. But she knew that breaking the news to El would be difficult, to say the least. She had to wait for the perfect time to tell her, preferably a time where she didn't seem upset about something already.

Oh, well. The supposed the time would come sooner or later. Until then, she would just have to be ready until it did.

* * *

Dustin paced frantically around the Harrington living room, clawing his fingers through his wild morning hair. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…" he kept repeating under his breath.

"Saying one word over and over again isn't gonna solve your problem, man," Steve pointed out as he put another spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth.

"Thank you, Steve," Dustin mocked sarcastically. "I'm just thinking," he muttered defensively.

"With your mouth or your brain?" he asked.

"Shut up," Dustin shot back, and then muttered another slew of cuss words under his breath after that Steve couldn't quite catch.

"What's the plan, Einstein?" Steve questioned.

"You know, I'd really appreciate some ideas here, you fuckin' moron," Dustin snapped.

"Nah, I'd rather just eat breakfast and watch you make a fool of yourself," Steve laughed.

"Fuck you too," Dustin gave him the finger. "What if I just go talk to Mike? How bad could that go?"

"Have you seen yourself? The reason why you have a bruise on your face is because he socked you in the head! Do you really wanna risk going to his house?"

"If Lucas is with me, then maybe," Dustin reasoned.

"Would Lucas go with you?"

"I'd have to ask him."

"How are you gonna do that?"

"I'll go to his house."

"Now?"

"No, tomorrow."

"What?"

"I was being sarcastic, fucknut!" Dustin exploded. "Yes, today! I have to handle this as soon as I can!"

"Okay, okay, Jesus," Steve tutted, rolling his eyes. "You wanna ride there?"

"Yes."

* * *

As Dustin and Steve neared the Sinclair household, Dustin found himself getting increasingly nervous. What if Lucas was as mad at him as much as Mike certainly was? "Yo, Steve," Dustin said. "Do you know of Lucas is also pissed off at me?"

"I have no idea," Steve replied honestly, keeping his eyes trained on the road. "For your sake, I hope so."

Dustin sighed and rested his head on his hand, and propped his elbow on the window sill of the passenger side. He had been beating himself up all morning about what he had did. Sure, he didn't initially agree with Mike's decision to keep the information away from El, but there were two things wrong with that. One, Mike knew her better than anyone. And two, even if he hadn't agreed, he had promised to keep it a secret.

And just because of some stupid alcohol, he had jeopardized everything. He made a mental note to remember to keep things in check the next time he drank, if he ever did. This hangover was making him rethink that.

"How's the hangover?" Steve asked.

"Killer," Dustin deadpanned, closing his eyes and breathing out of his nose slowly. He was in the process of mentally psyching himself up when he felt the car lurch to a stop.

"Alright, brother," Steve announced. "We're here." Dustin opened the car door reluctantly and eyed Steve.

"Thanks for the ride, man," he said and stuck his hand out. Steve grabbed it as if they were linking heads to do an arm wrestle, and gave it a shake.

"Take care," he nodded. Dustin swung the door closed and jogged up the walk to Lucas's front door. He jammed his hands in his pockets nervously before knocking lightly on the wood, part of him hoping that no one would come to answer it. Unfortunately, his small hope was not to be realized when he heard some fumbling through an open upstairs window. Hushed whispers and a lot of cursing could be heard, and he recognized the other voice in the house to be Max. He rolled his eyes. He had been hoping to catch Luas by himself. He didn't know what kind of drama Max had with him.

The house nearly seemed to shake as he heard Lucas bound down the stairs, and he was about to call out to him that it was him, not his Mom, but then the door swung open and he was standing face to face with a disheveled looking Dustin. They met eyes for half a second and Lucas sighed loudly. "God, dammit, Dustin," he muttered and turned around it. "Max, it's Dustin! Not my Mom!"

"Fuck!"

Dustin wrinkled his nose. "Did I interrupt something?" he asked sarcastically.

"Shut up," Lucas replied, rubbing his eyes with exasperation. He looked straight at his friend. "What's up?"

Dustin analyzed his face momentarily. He wasn't getting any negative vibes from him, so that gave him hope. Maybe Lucas would be willing to help with the problem. "Are you mad at me?"

Lucas hesitated. "Do you know what happened last night?" he questioned him.

"Yeah," Dustin responded, wincing at even the thought that everything Steve told was true. "Steve told me. Was it that bad?"

"Yeah," Lucas said with a deep exhale, cracking his knuckles one at a time. It was something he did when he was uneasy.

"So, uh," Dustin stuttered. "Are you mad at me? 'Cause I might need some help making things up with Mike," he admitted.

"Yeah, no, of course," Lucas said immediately, placing a hand on Dustin's shoulder. "You just made a mistake. Don't worry, the Party always shakes."

"Do you remember what happened between you and Mike two years ago?" Dustin asked incredulously. "Are you really sure that's gonna happen?"

"Okay, but that was when we were both mad at each other. This is one sided. I'm sure it will be fine."

Dustin clicked his tongue and rubbed his hands together. "Can I come in for a bit, I haven't eaten breakfast?"

"Yeah, sure." Lucas agreed, and stepped backward to let Dustin through. He nodded at him and kicked off his shoes on the mat at the door and stepped in. The house was nice and cool in contrast to outside, and he felt like the sweat on his body was almost disappearing. "Fuck, that's nice," he sighed.

Max's voice came from down the hall, and Dustin could hear her footsteps drawing closer. "Lucas, did you tell Dustin to lea-" She rounded the corner and came face to face with the two of them wearing nothing but sweat pants and a bra. "Oh, Jesus _Christ_!" she yelled and turned on a dime and made an angry beeline back to Lucas's room. "God damn it," she called from down the hall. "Thanks Dustin!" she yelled sarcastically.

Dustin furrowed his brow. "Are you sure that I'm not interrupting anything?" he joked.

Lucas shrugged. "Meh," he said. "This is more important. I, um… might have been going down on her before you came."

Dustin coughed loudly. "Ah," he replied, not knowing what else to respond with. "Interesting."

"Hey, just 'cause you're dating someone who lives across the country and can't do anything with her doesn't mean it's weird for me to do stuff with mine, who lives within walking distance!" he laughed.

"Yeah, no, I'm not making fun or anything," Dustin backpedalled. He was relieved that Lucas was joking with him, it proved that he wasn't lying when he said that he wasn't mad at him.

"You want cereal?"

"Sure."

Dustin watched him pour the two of them bowls of some sort of raisin bran cereal. He wasn't a huge fan of raisins, but he needed something hardy to get him through the day. He poured some milk in once Lucas had brought the two bowls to the table, and took his spoon and crammed in as much food as he could in one bite.

"Hungry?" Lucas asked.

Dustin chewed and swallowed the food, and tapped his spoon on the side of the bowl in thought. "It's weird," he began. "I'm hungover and I feel like shit, and part of me wants to throw up at the thought of food. But the other part is hungry as fuck. And right now that side is winning," he said as he put another spoonful back into his mouth.

"Fascinating," Lucas deadpanned. "I can't believe you had that much to drink," he murmured.

"Don't remind me," Dustin replied. "How's Mike doing?"

Lucas licked his lips. "If he's anything like he was last night? Not good."

"Fuck." He shoveled another bite into his mouth and chewed quickly. "I hope he's doing better then."

Mike woke up on the couch in his basement to nothing in particular. It might have been a dream, but he didn't know. For a moment, he couldn't even remember what had happened last night. He had no idea why he was sleeping the basement, or why he was still fully clothed, or anything.

But then it all came to him at once. The fight, the argument with El, punching Dustin, walking home semi-drunk. He groaned loudly and rolled over on his other side so that his head was buried into the backrest of the sofa. After squeezing his eyes painfully tight for a few moments, he rolled back over to gaze at the digital clock on the side table a few feet away from him. It read twelve-thirty-eight.

As if on queue, his stomach growled loudly. He realized that he hadn't eaten anything in over twelve hours, and figured it was high time that he got himself something to eat.

And that's how he found himself up in the kitchen feeling groggy and depressed popping in waffles in the toaster. Fuck, he couldn't even get breakfast without being reminded of El. It had to be Eggos. Damn it. There was nothing else in the house to have for breakfast at that moment anyway; his Mom was grocery shopping now, according to the note that had been stuck on the fridge.

He sat at the table and mulled over things in his head. He had no idea what to do, truly; he had never gotten in such a huge fight with one of the guys; but he knew that it wouldn't last before. Dustin was part of the Party. He was friends with all of his friends. And he knew that no matter what, no matter what kind of argument or fight they could ever have, nothing could deny the bond between the group of boys. He imagined that Dustin felt the same way too. They would shake, and then the four of them could focus on the real problem: El.

Sure, El was part of the Party too. So in theory, she would be the same case as Dustin.

They would both realize that there existed an irrefutable bond between them, and that would lead them to shake under the presumption that no matter what kind of shit happened, they would always have each other's back, no matter what.

But of course, El was a girl.

And girl's operated on feelings, not logic.

So then there was a problem. Obviously, El did not believe Mike's lie was justified. She

thought he was an idiot and a horrible person in nearly every way, unless the previous night had just been a show. Which it might have been, but it felt too real. Whatever it was, he had to figure it out soon to plan his next course of action. Which would have been a lot easier to do with the help of his friends. The guys could probably offer some more insight, some more ideas, or literally _anything _to help him.

This was the exact reason why it felt like a godsend when he looked up and saw Dustin and Lucas walking up his driveway. He let out a deep breath of relief and got up from his seat at the dining table quickly, leaving the semi-eaten waffles in their place. The door was being opened before Dustin and Lucas had even gotten there. Mike could have sworn that he saw a look of panic flash across Dustin's face for a moment, but then it was back to being neutral. He waited for them to get a little closer before he spoke.

"What's up guys?" he greeted casually. Lucas waved in return but didn't say anything, but instead turned toward Dustin expectantly, who scratched the back of his awkwardly. He fiddled with the brim of his baseball cap.

"Uh, you got a minute to talk, Mike?" he asked. Mike furrowed his brow and analyzed Dustin's face. He seemed very upset and stressed out, and he could see the marks that he had left on his face. And based on the look of Dustin's face, he guessed he had seen the same on his. It was making for a very awkward situation.

"Yeah, sure. Come in guys," he invited them, stepping to the side and holding the door open. Both boys nodded and kicked their footwear off on the welcome mat. They then congregated on the living room, where they all sat down. Lucas again looked at Dustin.

"Look, Mike…" Dustin began. "I'm, uh… I'm really sorry about last night. I shouldn't have done anything I that I did. I got really drunk and it wasn't a good idea."

"You're right, but I-"

"Hold on, I'm not done yet," Dusin cut him off and held his hand up. "I was stupid and made the wrong decision. And I also said some things that I shouldn't have, about Hopper to El. Even after I promised you that I wouldn't. And then when you got mad at me, wich your reasonably did, and hit me, I just started punching you back." Mike stared blankly at Dustin, shocked by how apologetic he was being.

"I'm sorry, Mike," he said sincerely, looking him in the eye as he did so. "I'm sorry that I fucked up so bad. But I'll tell you right now, I'll do everything I can to fix up whatever problems you're having with El. I promise."

Mike took a second to process everything that Dustin had said before answering. The fact that Dustin had been so one sided and nice about this made him feel incredibly grateful. If he was honest, he was expecting at least a little bit of disagreement, maybe some argument about something. It wasn't like Dustin to be willing to accept _all _the blame for something.

"Thanks, Dustin, but it's not all your fault. I did some dumb stuff to that night. I should have never hit you. I overreacted. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I deserved it."

"No, you didn't." Dustin opened his mouth to protest, but Mike stuck his hand out across the seating area. "Rule of law. I drew first blood." Dustin blew air out of his nose in amusement. "Shake?"

"Shake."

**Alright, so that's chapter 23 done! I'll try to get chapter 24 out as soon as I can, but I cannot make any promises. As always, please a review! I love to read them and hear your thoughts on this story. Also motivates me to work more, haha. One more thing, I have a YouTube channel where I have made some Stranger Things Edits (two, to be exact.) I'd love it if you guys could check it out! Here's the link: ** channel/UCWZA3z8f9GSfHJYr1SSNV1Q


	25. Chapter 25

**Hello everyone, welcome back.**

**First off, we have three new followers: MarinaMango, brainy-brownie123 and SophieRock; thank you for showing interest in the story! I'm glad to have you guys here.**

**I apologize greatly for the huge wait for this chapter, but to say that I've been busy over the last two weeks would be an understatement. School has been an absolute bitch, and it's really taken a chop out of my writing time. But this was the last day of class before the break and I cranked this entire chapter out in a twelve hours. **

**It's extra long, over 5000 words (without the beginning and end author's note). I tried to make it worth the wait. We're getting closer toward the "move" soon, so brace yourselves for that. I know exactly how I'm going to plan it out, and how everything is going to happen. After the move, I have a completely clean slate to work with, and I have a bunch of ideas that I hope you guys will stick around for. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**MarinaMango: No problem! I enjoy your story. Thank you following mine, too! (Everyone check her out! She's got a really good Mileven story going on right now!)**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: Thank you for checking the channel out! Also, I'm glad you're enjoying the multiple perspective-thing. My favorite to work with are Mike and Eleven, but I like to include other characters too.**

**Gil: Thank you! I hope this chapter is interesting too.**

**Luna0603: Yeah, I knew that Dustin and Mike would reach an agreement quickly. That's the type of friends these guys are. I guess we will see if Joyce ever finds out about things, but I can tell you that I have an idea of how everything is going to play out. As for Will's story, we will see. And haha, Mike and his 'emotions not logic' stuff XD I think that I might try to add some growth for him in that area, because you're right, it is growing quite tiresome. Great work on TTWAS with the last chapter, by the way! **

**Vader115: Thanks! I hope you like this one as well.**

"So how mad is El, exactly?" Dustin asked as he popped a potato chip into his mouth and chewed, staring at Mike intently.

"Really mad," Mike replied, rubbing his eyes. He hadn't gotten a very sound sleep the previous night. It wasn't like he had been crying; he had already done so much of that it felt like he had nothing left to give. Right now he just felt empty inside. Like whenever he closed his eyes, all he could feel was this anxiety eating away at him. He couldn't think about anything else but El. "Maybe we should just call Will. He's been with her for the last couple days, he can probably help us out."

"Yeah, but what if he just goes back and tells El what we said?" Lucas pointed out. "They are siblings now. He probably feels kind of inclined to tell her."

"Shit, you're right," Mike acknowledged, racking his brain to try to plan out the next step. "Okay, what if we call him and ask if he can just come over? And then when he gets here, we get him to promise that he won't tell El. Will has been our friend since kindergarten. Besides, they might be siblings but they don't have to like her. Last I checked, Will didn't even like El."

"Touche," Dustin added, moving toward the chip bag again.

"So give him a call, Mike," Lucas said. "See what he says." Mike nodded and slid out of his chair toward the phone. He picked up the telephone and found that he was feeling nervous for some reason. Why? He was talking to his best friend, not some stranger. But this best friend of his might be on El's side with all of this. What if he just ended up getting screamed at because he had been such a dick to his sister. _Sister. _God, that was weird to say now. Either way, he had to make this call in order to make any kind of progress in mending their relationship.

With a finger that was shaking more than he was comfortable with, he punched in the numbers and put the phone to his ear. It was ringing. The line picked up and a female voice came through.

"Hello?"

_It was El. _Mike's eyes shot wide open and he sat there, not knowing at all what to say. He started mouthing the word 'shit' over and over again. Lucas and Dustin looked at him with confusion and started mouthing back to him, but he didn't understand what they were saying. He covered up the microphone and stage whispered across the kitchen. "It's El! Someone else pick up the phone!"

Lucas darted out of his chair, nearly causing it to fall over and immediately grabbed the phone. "Hi, El? It's Lucas," he said quickly. Before waiting for a response, he added; "Can we talk to Lucas? I mean Will? Can we talk to Will?"

Mike and Dustin stared at the phone Lucas was holding intently. Mike's heart seemed to be beating furiously, although he still couldn't really figure out exactly why. "Okay, thanks, El," Lucas said. He beckoned Mike over with his free hand and he snatched it out of his hand. He heard Will's voice on the other end.

"Lucas? What's up?"

"Will, it's Mike. We've got a code pink."

"What does that even mean?"

"It's a new code. It means 'El's mad at me and we need to figure out how to make her not mad and we need your help.'"

"Okay. Do you want me to come over or something?"

"Yeah, but we need you to promise something first."

"What?"

"If you come and help us, do you promise not to tell El anything we talk about."

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, great," Mike sighed in relief. "How soon can you get here?"

"I can bike over in like fifteen minutes. I'm assuming you don't want El to know that I'm going to your house?"

"No. Tell her that you're going to Lucas' or something."

"Okay, I'll see you in fifteen."

Twenty minutes later, the four boys were seated in the basement around the Dungeons and Dragons table. Except instead of playing their beloved childhood game, they had a much more serious issue at hand. Will acknowledged this; as much as he would have rather been spending his time playing something fun with the guys, ever since he and Mike had that fight, he had grown to respect their relationships more. He had realized that they were, in fact, older now, and some things faded away with age. And he was okay with that now. At the moment, all that was on his mind was fixing up El and Mike, because he knew that his sister would be in a really tough place as well if this wasn't fixed soon.

On top of this, the fact that they were moving was still dwelling in the back of his mind, and he really wasn't looking forward to telling everyone. But it was the middle of August, and he knew that sooner or later, it would have to be disclosed. He licked his lips and folded his hands.

Before he had left, he had told El he was going to Lucas', as per Mike's suggestion. She had not seemed suspicious at all. Even if Mike hadn't told him, he still probably would not have told her he was going to Mike's, given the circumstances.

"Will, what do you know about El?" Mike asked. "How is she doing?"

"I mean, I can't really be sure," Will replied, furrowing his brow. "All I can really tell you is that she's locked herself in her room and has only come out to eat since it happened. She seems really upset."

"Upset with me, or upset with herself?" Dustin clarified.

"I don't know," Will replied. "Probably both. I doubt El feels good about hitting you like that."

Mike winced. "Don't remind me," he muttered. Not that it wasn't justified, because from her point of view it probably was. But it wasn't something that he wanted to hang onto for very long. He would have preferred to just jam the memory of out of his head.

"If you want my honest opinion," Will announced. "I think that you should talk to her yourself."

"That's a no-go," Lucas shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "We need more information to do that."

"Yeah," Dustin agreed.

"Well, how do you guys want to get more information?" Will asked incredulously. "Do you want me to spy on her or something?"

The other three boys in the room looked at each other. "Well, maybe _spy _isn't the right word, but…"

"Are you kidding me?" Will responded as his eyebrows shot up. "I'm her brother, isn't that kind of weird?"

"Okay, no," Dustin interjected. "You guys aren't even technically siblings yet."

"Not even that," Lucas put in, "but I think that you put a lot more stock into sibling relationships than anyone else in the world. I hope you know that most brothers and sisters aren't as good as you and Jonathan."

"Yeah, it's completely normal for siblings to hate each other," Mike agreed.

"I don't hate El," Will raised his voice a little to get that point across and rolled his eyes. "I hope you guys know that."

"We do," Dustin said quickly. "We just want you to know that, for Mike's sake, it would be _completely _okay for you to ask El some questions and then report back to us about everything she says."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Will exhaled and realized that there was sense in what they were saying. Because not only were they right, he realized that this cause was as good for Mike as it was for El. "Alright, so what do I need to know?"

"What?"

"What sorts of questions should I be asked her? What do you guys want to know?"

"Ohh," Lucas replied, snapping his fingers. "Okay, don't worry, I know everything that we need to do. Get me a piece of paper."

"Really? That much?"

"Yes," Lucas repeated. "This is going to be a complicated process. Luckily, my experience with Max has made me the ideal person to sort this issue out."

"Uh-huh," Dustin sighed, cracking his knuckles absent-mindedly.

Lucas twirled a pencil in between his fingers and tapped his knuckles on the table as Mike handed him an empty sheet of lined paper. "So, on this paper, we need to write down everything that we need to figure out. All of our questions, all of the answers we need, it's going on this sheet of paper."

"We need to know if she would talk to me if I went to her," Mike suggested immediately. "Would she talk to me? Because that's what I would be doing right now, but the problem is I don't know if she would even look at me."

"Okay," Lucas said in concord, scrawling messy words onto the sheet of paper. "What else?"

"We should also know how mad she is," Dustin said. "Like, does she want you dead, or will she be fine if you just say sorry?"

"Okay, she's probably in the middle of those two," grumbled Mike.

"Yeah, but on a scale of one to ten, we need to know if she's like a two, or an eight. You know?"

"Yeah, Dustin is right," Lucas nodded, scribbling onto the paper again. "Remember, Will, we have to know _all _of these things. We're gonna give you this paper, and you need to write all the answers down. Then, we're gonna have another meeting and talk about what we are doing next."

"Why do I feel like we're doing some kind of top-secret spy mission?" Dustin huffed, walking toward the pantry to find food.

"Because we are," Lucas replied. "We need to be able to get Mike and El back together," he continued as he continued to write furiously onto the paper.

* * *

El sighed and threw the last Cosmo magazine onto the ground beside her bed. It joined the piles of others that she had ripped through in the last two days. She had found nothing better to do with her time since the night at Steve's. Plus, she had enjoyed reading them. But it seemed that now she was done, all she had were more questions. Mostly involving actually _doing _the things she read. Sure, she knew what foreplay and sex were, now in a lot more detail than she probably needed.

But what did it really mean? How could she do those things with Mike?

_Shit. _

She had momentarily forgotten about her current situation with him. The whole thing had been hanging over her head like a storm cloud, until she had finally decided to get some reading done to take her mind off it. It was a complete mystery to her, what she was feeling; half of her still wanted to slap Mike upside the head for being so stupid and selfish for lying to her, and then being so mean to her in the forest. But at the same time, the other part of her knew that he had been mean as well, and wanted to just run into him and apologize. But how was Mike feeling?

That was the real question. If she knew what was going on in _his _mind, knowing what to do would not be a problem. But it wasn't like she could just go up to his house and knock on the door and as him. She would have to find out some other way. Maybe she could ask Joyce for some help? Or maybe Will would be willing to see how Mike was feeling.

Max could probably give her some girl advice. However, she started thinking back to their first breakup that was arguably because of Max, and waved the idea off. Perhaps it was best if Max stayed out of this one. She could figure this out, right?

Her mind drifted off to think about all the times Max and Lucas got into a fight. It happened a lot; what did they do? She recalled that most of the time, Lucas would end up coming back to her and apologizing profusely, saying how stupid and dumb he was, and Max would forgive him. Then they would rinse and repeat the same thing a few weeks later. It was silly, really. She liked to think that her and Mike weren't like that. They had a much better and more serious relationship. She _wanted _to get back together with him, and maybe talk it out, but a little voice in the back of her mind kept whispering to her.

_He lied to you. He looked you in the eye and lied to you about what they were talking about in the basement. Even after he said he would never lie to you. He lied about _Hopper. _Your _Dad. _He insulted you in the forest. He yelled at you. He deserves to be single right now. Let him come to you, he will. _

At that rush of negative thoughts, she seemed to feel her blood almost start boiling again. How could she still want to be with him after all those things that he said? Part of it was because she knew she had said some nasty stuff too, but there was another bigger reason.

_Because you love him. _

Fuck! Her mind was spinning. She couldn't even make up her damn mind. Nothing was getting done. She felt like a dog chasing its own tail. It always led her back to the same place, never getting any progress.

All she wanted was to curl up next to Mike and tell him that she was sorry, and then he would say that he was sorry, and then they could go to her bedroom and do what they had been doing at Steve's before the fireworks. Lying in that bed, skin on skin, making out furiously. _That's _what she wanted.

But that couldn't happen. Not now. And her heart kept telling her that it might not happen again. And it was killing her.

Will found himself walking up the dirt driveway to his house, holding a folded up piece of paper in his hand, and not quite knowing what was going to happen in the next few minutes.

He had been assigned the task of essentially interrogating El about what she felt regarding Mike. There was a nagging voice in the back of his head that was telling him that this entire plan was going to backfire horribly, but he told that voice to shut up. He was doing this for his best friend since kindergarten, which was a damn good reason in his mind. And his sister, too. Because once they got back together, both of them would be happier.

He fished his key out of his shorts pocket and unlocked the front door. "El?" he called out. "Are you home?"

No answer came. He closed the door behind him and kicked off his shoes and let the cool air conditioning wash over his sweating body. A shower was going to be in his hear future. "El?" Still no answer. He noticed that her door was closed. He was about to just open the door but decided that he should knock first. He gently tapped his fingertips on the wood.

He heard a yelp in surprise come from the other side of the door. "El? Are you okay?" A couple seconds later, her reply came. "Yes, sorry," she said. "You just startled me. Give me a second."

"Okay," he said, sneaking a glance at the sheet of paper in his hand before balling it up and jamming it in his pocket. The door swung open and El stared up at him. Will noticed that her hair was slightly messed up and she looked a little bit out of breath. What had she been doing in there? He shook the question of his head and focused on the task at hand.

"Could I talk to you for a bit about something?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, stepping out of the way and letting him into the room. He nodded at her in thanks and stepped in, looking around for a second. It had definitely been nicely decorated by her. She could see photos and drawings she had made up Mike, the dresser and closet with some of her new clothes draped around messily. The only lighting in the room was coming from the lamp that was placed on the night side table.

"What were you doing before I came in here? You seem… weird."

Her eyes went wide. "No, I was just… reading," she replied, seemingly unsure. Will decided not to push it.

"Look, I just wanted to see how you're doing," he began. "I know that Steve's night was shitty and I just want to know if you're okay." He was deviating from the script a little bit, but he knew that if he was going to get any real answers, he had to work his way into it.

El looked thoughtful for a second. Will was already questioning whether or not whatever she told him was going to be the truth. "I'm okay, I guess," she replied.

_Well that's vague. _"Are you sure? You've barely talked since that night, and you seem upset."

"I'm just tired," she said, clearly a lie. "I haven't been sleeping well." That might have been the truth.

"Why not? Why aren't you sleeping well?"

El shrugged. "I don't know."

Will sniffed and decided to just bite the bullet. "Does it have anything to do with Mike?"

As soon as his name left his mouth El's face seemed to freeze. Yup, he had struck a nerve. Now he just had to figure out what was really going on.

"Yes," she finally replied quietly.

"Okay," Will said. "What's exactly going on with you and Mike?"

El looked at the floor. Will could tell that this was not to be an easy conversation. Hopefully, it wouldn't end up with him getting yelled at, or being thrown out the window with her powers. He reminded himself that her powers were gone now, but she still felt slightly more intimidating than the average person.

"We had a fight," El finally said, and then sniffed. She crawled back into her bed and lay down, facing away from where Will was standing.

"What did you guys fight about?" he asked.

"You were there," she replied dryly, not turning around to look at him. "He lied about Dad."

Will mentally kicked himself for asking a question that he already technically knew the answer to. If he was going to do this, he had to at least sound half as smart as he was. He tried to cover it up quickly with a follow-up question. "Yeah, I know, but was there anything that you guys argued about after?"

"No," she said in a monotone voice, almost automatically. Will sighed. It was like trying to squeeze the truth out of a small child who didn't want to cooperate. He took a seat at the foot of the bed and El looked more upward to still avoid his face. "Are you sure?"

"Will, I said 'no,'" she snapped. "Can you go away? I don't want to talk right now."

Well. That was it. There wasn't anything else he could do. At least for now. Maybe later he could try to breach the subject again, but he doubted he would have much luck. He knew as well as anyone that when El made her mind up about something, little could be done to change it. "Okay, well, if you change your mind, you can always talk to me," he said, and stood up to leave the room. He turned around once more to look at her back, and then closed the door.

He leaned his back against it and blew a gust of air out his cheeks in exasperation. He supposed that there was some good that came out of it. If he was honest, he half expected her to start screaming as soon as he mentioned Mike's name. But she hadn't. Was that a sign of hope? He had no idea.

The phone suddenly rang and broke Will away from his thoughts. After getting to the kitchen, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Did you get the chance to talk to her?" Mike practically yelled into the phone.

"Jesus, Mike," he winced, bringing the speaker away from his ear slightly as he spoke. "Calm down. You didn't even ask if this was me! What if I was El?"

"I knew it was you from your voice," Mike replied. "Your voice is deeper than El's."

"Uh-huh," Will muttered. "And to answer your question, no, I didn't," he said in a hushed tone, not wanting to be heard by El.

"What? Why not?"

"Well," he kissed his teeth in slight frustration. "I did, but she didn't tell me. When I brought your name up she basically told me to piss off."

Will heard a loud slam in the background followed by a string of profanity from Mike. "Well that's fucking great," he deadpanned.

"Alright, well, it could have gone worse," Will tried to make him feel better. "She didn't tell me to 'piss off,' per say."

"What exactly did she tell you?"

"She told me that she didn't want to talk to me about the argument you guys had in the woods," he said. "She was pretty polite about it," he added.

Mike exhaled loudly. "Okay, well, if she tells you anything else, let me know, alright?"

"Yeah, of course," Will nodded. "I'll let you know."

"Okay. Thanks, Will."

"No problem. Try not to get any grey hairs, okay?" he joked.

Will heard Mike chuckle from the other end. "Okay, man. Take care."

"You too."

He hung up the phone feeling satisfied. It felt like some progress had been made, even if it was just a tiny amount.

After a quiet and rather uncomfortable dinner, Will had retreated to his bedroom where he was now doing some drawing. All of the guys were busy with stuff, and he had nothing better to do. Jonathan and his Mom were in the living room watching some television or something, which he didn't really have any interest in at the moment. So he had taken out some of the pencil crayons he had buried in his desk drawer and a blank sheet of paper.

He was just letting his hand wander across the page; he didn't have any ideas in his mind. All he could think about was El. She hadn't said a single word for all of dinner, and he could that his Mom was getting concerned, too. And it was nearing the time where they would have to tell El about the move. According to his Mom, she had already waited longer than she would have liked. But Will kept on telling her do it later.

He had gathered that El didn't want his Mom to know about the fight, so when she had asked him why, he would just say; "I don't know, I just want to make sure that she's ready to hear it."

Whatever that meant. He was stalling her, she knew it. And that meant that he had to sort this out quickly. He was about to scrunch the sheet of paper he was drawing on and start over, but he heard the door to his room quietly open and he turned around in his chair.

El peeked her head into the doorway and looked at Will. "Can we… talk?"

Will didn't hesitate. "Yeah, of course, yeah," he stumbled on his words, slightly caught off guard by the fact that it seemed like El was coming to him for help rather than the other way around. "Do you wanna close the door, or leave it open?" he asked.

El closed the door behind her. "Closed."

Will swallowed. "Okay," he replied. "What do you want to talk about?"

El sat on his bed and Will spun in his chair ninety degrees to face her. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Sorry?" Will repeated, confused. "Why are you sorry?"

"I was rude to you when you came to talk to me," she explained sadly. "Also, I lied."

Will chewed his lip. "Okay, well, first of all, you don't have to apologize, you weren't rude. And even if you were, it's okay, because most people are when they're upset."

El cleared her throat. "I'm not-"

"Second of all," Will cut her off, knowing what she was going to say. "You don't have to apologize for lying either. It's fine."

El looked like she was going to say something for a second, but then closed her mouth. Her lips curled into a small smile. "Thank you," she said.

Will smiled back. "You're welcome," he replied. "What do you want to talk about?"

El fiddled with her blue bracelet, which was a habit of hers that Will had picked up on a little bit after meeting her. It was something that she did when she was nervous. It was a bracelet from Hopper. According to Mike (who had been told by El), it was a bracelet that was made from Hopper's old daughter's hair tie that he used to wear. He gave it to her to wear at the snowball, and she had kept it.

"When you went to Lucas's today, did you see Mike?" she asked.

Will hesitated. Would it be good to tell her? On the one hand, she would know that he had seen Mike. She could interpret that in a couple of different ways, some of which might not be good. On the other hand, perhaps his honesty could open some doors to some answers. He decided to go with his gut instinct.

"Yes," he answered truthfully. Technically, he was staying consistent with his initial lie. He had told her he was going to Lucas', and Mike had just happened to be there. When he had left the house, he had never said that Mike _wouldn't _be there.

"Did he talk about me at all?" El asked shyly, her wide, brown eyes looking directly into his.

Crap. Another conundrum. Should he tell the truth again? Or lie? He decided to trust his feelings again.

"Yeah," he told her truthfully. "He did."

"What did he say?" she asked in an instant. "Anything bad?"

"No, nothing bad," he replied. "At least, not about you."

El straightened her back a little bit more. She was looking a little bit more hopeful. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"He seemed really upset with himself," Will admitted, shrugging. That was also the truth. But the question was, should he tell her that Mike also thought that _she _did some bad stuff too? He knew that Mike thought that he had stepped out of line, and he regretted lying to El; that was a fact. But he also knew that Mike thought that El had also been out of line too.

In short, he wanted their make-up to be two-sided. He wanted both sides to acknowledge there were mistakes made, and he wanted that too. It was probably the best for their relationship too, so that's what he wanted.

"He regretted saying the things he said. He knows that he shouldn't have lied to you. I think that he just thought that he could save you from a lot of grieving," he told her softly, trying to sound as diplomatic as possible. He did _not _want to come off as rude or condescending. El looked deep in thought, pondering Will's words deeply.

She tore her eyes away from her bracelet and looked at Will. "I did some bad things, too," she admitted. There were tears collecting in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly. "I slapped him," she cried, the tears now collecting more profusely. Her shoulders started to shake and she gasped. "I told him that all he wanted from me was sex. But I know that's wrong."

"Why did you tell him that?"

"I don't know, Will," she broke down, and started sobbing. "I don't know," she repeated more quietly, almost to herself.

Will stared at her, having no idea at all what to do. He had never comforted anyone before. He had spent the majority of his life crying on someone's shoulder, with the Upside Down and all. This was completely new territory for him.

After snapping out his momentary trance, he got up out of his desk chair and sat down beside El on his bed. "Hey, shh, it's fine," she comforted her, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. "Don't be too loud, Mom'll hear you," he attempted a slight joke.

El sniffed. He couldn't tell it was a half-laugh or not, but he took it as a good sign. "You and Mike'll get back together, I'm sure of it. Okay? It'll be fine."

"How do you know?" she sobbed. "What if he just lied to you?"

"He didn't lie," Will reassured her. "Friends don't lie."

"But Mike lied before," she reminded him.

"Yeah, sometimes friends lie," Will replied. "Friends do a lot of stupid stuff. But then they apologize and make things right again. That's what friends do."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Will said. "Friends make mistakes all the time. You know Mike punched Dustin in the head after you left Steve's?"

"Really? Why?" she asked incredulously, distracted from her own crying.

"Because he was upset with him for telling you about Hopper. He thought that he would never see you again, and it made him _that_ angry."

Will noticed the ghost of a smile flash across El's mouth. He rubbed her shoulder and bicep. He was feeling great. He felt like an actual big brother. Well, slightly bigger. He knew that they were both technically the same age, but in terms of actual experience of being a person in the real-life world, he was _way _older.

It was almost automatic, the way he was handling the situation. Like some kind of invisible force had pulled him toward El and placed his hand on her body, and some spiritual force was speaking through his mouth for him. All the times that Jonathan had spent rubbing _his _shoulder and being a big brother to him had obviously transferred to him, and now he was able to be that big brother figure to El.

It made him feel amazing.

It made him feel that, for the first time, they could have a future where they could all be happy.

**Alright guys, so we are at the end of the chapter. As I said, I'm on break now, so I'll have a little bit of extra time to get extra chapters out, but I also have a shitload of work to do over the break for school :/ I won't make any promises, but just know that I'm never gonna ditch this story on you guys :) **

**Also, let me know what you guys think of the chapter lengths. Do you prefer them a little bit longer like this, or shorter? Or do you even care? If you like them longer, the waits might be longer, but I'll try to make it worth the wait as much as I can.**

**As always, be sure to review! I love reading what you guys have to say, I will reply to all of them in the next chapter. Not to mention, the extra review motivate me to get the next chapter out quicker, so keep that in mind, lmao. **

**Youtube Channel: KMX Projects (first thing you see when you search it in YouTube)**

**Alright guys, enough from me. Take care and take it easy**

**PS. It's the next day, I just fixed some typos and stuff. Sorry about that the first time around lol**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello everyone! I'd like to start off by giving you guys a HUGE apology for the massive wait for this chapter. I'm really sorry about that, my Christmas break that was supposed to be productive went to shit when one of my close family members fell ill, and it took up a lot of my time. On top of that, I hit a huge writer's block when it came to resolving this fight between El and Mike. After a lot of thinking, I came to a decision that I hope you will all be happy with. **

**I thought really hard about what I wanted to do. Originally, I was going to have El and Mike not even interact until the move, but I decided that would be too unrealistic. So enjoy this chapter with a lot of emotional Mileven, haha**

**I would also recommend re-reading the last chapter, just to refresh your minds as to where we are; there are many direct references to stuff that happened in chapter 25. This chapter only starts up literally a few minutes after the last one.**

**Guest: I hope you'll be satisfied with this chapter, then :)**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: Me too! Will and El's dynamic in this fic was one of my favourite things to create. There will definetely be more of it in chapters to come. **

**Luna0603: It means the world to me that you're such a fan! (Especially considering how brilliant of a writer you are. I am still loving TTWAS!) I'm glad you're liking the El/Will dynamic. And I hope you are happy with how things with Mike and El go this chapter, let me know in a review! **

**Vader115: Thank you! I hope you like this one, too!**

El was lying in her bed after having that discussion with Will. Initially going in there, she hadn't expected to be so emotional. All she really wanted to do was apologize for being rude to him earlier, and to maybe find out if he had talked to Mike over at Lucas'. But it had turned into an entire conversation that actually made her feel a lot better.

She was glad that it appeared that Mike felt bad about his actions. Not that she wanted him to feel bad or anything, but it was better than finding out that he thought that everything was her fault. That meant that when they made up, it would be mutual; she didn't want him to take all of the blame for this. She knew that she had done a lot of stupid stuff too that she regretted. All that had to be done was to actually go to him and talk with him. Then everything would be better.

It had been a close call, though; before he had came into her room, her mind had started to, in spite of herself, wander back to that night at Steve's where she and Mike had shared that bed for a short amount of time. She had found herself getting increasingly aroused and bored, so she had decided to try out masturbating again.

Thank God Will had knocked on her door before he came in, or else she probably would have had to run away from their house and never come back. Even still, Will looked slightly concerned toward her, but she dismissed the possibility that Will could know what she was doing.

But other than that, their conversation had gone well; she felt like she was truly starting to bond with the youngest Byers boy. She had not gotten much of a chance to warm up to Jonathan, but she considered them close enough. She shuddered at the memory of him cutting open her infected leg at Starcourt at the beginning of summer. Without Jonathan, she would have probably died.

As for Joyce, El found herself in an odd situation with her. They had gotten a lot closer when they were moving out of her cabin and she had had that meltdown in front of her; that incident certainly broke down some walls between them. But for the last few weeks, El kept getting the feeling that she was being hidden from something by her. Yes, she had been kind of isolating herself the past couple days, due to the whole thing with Mike and all, and whenever Joyce had tried to ask her what was wrong, she lied and said nothing. But even before that, she had this nagging voice in the back of her head reminding her that she was an outcast in this household no matter how she felt, and that the three of them were hiding something from her.

What could it be? Something about Hopper? Something about Mike? Something about the boys? Was someone sick or something? She had no idea. Perhaps she could ask Will. They had gotten a lot better at communicating, and she felt that the bond between them was growing stronger by the day, which was ironic- up until she moved in with them, she could have never imagined herself getting along with Will. She had always got the vibe from that he didn't like her because of how much time Mike had been spending with her.

Nevertheless, she decided that it might be worth her time to try to talk to Will about whether or not there was something happening that she did not know about. It was getting late, though. She nodded her head and made up her mind that she would ask Will about things tomorrow when she had a clear mind.

Mike woke up in his bed feeling rather refreshed. His night had not been plagued by thoughts of El or the fight for once. In fact, he had gone to bed with a clear plan in his mind. He knew that by now, Will must have gotten some sort of information regarding how El was feeling that he could work with. And hopefully, based on that, he would be able to go to her and have some kind of conversation with her that would resolve their issues.

He had a hurried breakfast, answering his Mom's seemingly pointless questions without much regard, simply nodding his way through the meal. As soon as he put his empty dishes in the washer he rushed to the kitchen and snatched up the phone. He dialed Will's number as quickly as he could and waiting apprehensively for someone to answer (hopefully not El this time).

"Hello?" It was Joyce. Mike silently prayed that she didn't know about what was going on, or he would have a very awkward conversation in store for him. He scrunched his eyes together in silent prayer and answered back.

"Hi, Mrs. Byers. It's Mike."

"Oh, hi, Mike!" she answered excitedly. "I haven't heard from you in so long. How are you?" That was a good sign.

"I've been good. How about you?"

"Good. How was Steve's? It's been a couple of days, but Will barely told me anything about it. Was it fun?"

Mike cringed inwardly. "Yeah, it was good," he lied. "Hey, uh, is Will around?"

"No, sorry. He went to the video store with Jonathan a couple minutes ago. Do you want me to pass a message to him?"

Mike cursed under his breath. He had been psyching himself up all morning to finally confront this problem, and now Will was busy. He needed to know what had happened last night. Had Will ever ended up talking to El?

"No, it's okay. Is El with them?"

"No, she's still at the house. Did you want to talk to her?"

_Fuck! _He quicky lied on the spot. "No, I was just curious. Would it be okay if I came over later? I would need to ask my Mom."

"Yeah, sure, just drop by any time. I'll be home."

"Okay, thanks, Mrs. Byers."

"You're welcome, sweetie. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," he replied and hung up. He was heavily considering just biting the bullet and going to see El himself. He had built it up in his head, and to be shot down was really frustrating him. This stupid problem had been lingering with him for too long, and he needed to deal with it, with or without Will. He told him yesterday that she didn't seem _too _mad, which was a god enough lead to go off of.

He wondered if it was a good idea to just go today and talk to her. He had family coming over later this afternoon, so it was either this morning or tomorrow, and he really didn't want to wait another twenty-four hours to deal with this problem. This stormcloud of a problem had been hanging over his head for far too long already, and he was desperate to get rid of it.

He knew El incredibly well; he doubted that she would still be so mad that she wouldn't even simply listen to him. And that was all he needed. He just needed to talk to her and for her to listen. If that could happen, he was sure that he could fix this problem once and for all.

Feeling resolved, he nodded to himself and headed out the door.

* * *

Joyce was staring at her empty bowl of cereal, stirring the small amount of milk that was left around with her spoon. She was resting her head in her hand, with a puzzled expression on her face. She was in the middle of trying to reach a decision regarding an issue that had been pestering her for weeks.

Telling El about the move.

It had been confirmed for a long time. They were going to move. They had sold the house, and they were going to be buying the new one very soon. It was only a matter of time. In fact, she was thinking that it would probably only be a month or so before they were leaving. Will and Jonathan both knew, but Will had kept insisting that she should wait a little bit longer before finally disclosing it to El and everyone else. She didn't know why because and he never gave her a clear answer. But her patience was wearing thin; she was honestly considering telling her now while her other kids were out of the house. It would be fine. She would be able to answer all her questions, comfort her if it was needed. There was no reason to believe that it would not go over fine. Sure, she was expecting some bumps in the road, but it couldn't be that bad.

Right?

How would she even bring up the subject to her? She couldn't just walk into her room and announced that her life was going to change in one of the biggest ways possible that it can for anyone; she would have to ease her into the idea gently.

Which shouldn't be a problem. She had been a Mom for seventeen years, she had enough experience with parenting children and coaching out problems. She could do this.

Mike's heart was beating out of his chest by the time he had even stepped out the door on his way to the Byers home. He had decided to walk so he could have more time to think about what he was going to say to El. His hands felt cold for some reason, yet sweaty at the same time. He was finding himself becoming more and more nervous with every step he took that led him closer to where El was. He had dug himself out a hole like this before only two months ago.

Okay, maybe this hole was worse.

Way worse.

But that was okay; he was feeling confident that he would be able to find the right words to make her see the reason in why he did what he did, but also understand that he knew it was wrong for him to have lied about it all. He wanted her to see things from his perspective, and he wanted to make sure that she knew that he understood hers just as well. Will had told him that she hadn't even seemed that mad when he tried to talk to her. That was a good sign. There was nothing to be stressed about.

Nothing at all.

* * *

El heard a knock on her bedroom door. She looked up the page she was reading (it was from some sort of science magazine that Mike had given her a long time ago) and almost tried to open the door with her powers, but then mentally kicked herself shortly after. Even after nearly two months of being stripped of her gift, there was some things in her daily life that she still had not gotten used to. Opening and closing doors were tasks that she never did manually back when she lived in the cabin with Hopper.

"Come in," she called out, just loud enough to be heard. Joyce opened the door, and she stepped in with a smile. El offered a small, half-spirited expression of greeting (she could barely call it a smile) before turning her attention back to the paragraph she had been reading. She heard Joyce close the door behind her, which made her nervous because she never closed the door unless something very important was happening. And in her life, important things were usually bad things. On top of that, the fact that there wasn't even anyone else in the house and she was still taking this seemingly redundant precaution was reason for even more concern.

El closed up the magazine and placed it on the bed beside her. "What's wrong?" she asked Joyce quizzically.

Joyce appeared confused. "Why would you think something is wrong, sweetie?" She looked unsure of herself. Recently, El had made a lot of progress with being able to judge people by their social signs and expressions. In the past, she had found it difficult at times to understand what people were thinking. But since moving in with the Byers' where she had to live under the same roof as three other people rather than the one Hopper she had grown accustomed to, she found that it gave her practice in understanding social cues and being able to judge what people were thinking or feeling.

"You closed the door. You only do that when you have something important to talk to me about. And important things are bad," she explained to her.

Joyce let out a dry chuckle that seemed forced. "What? What do you mean, 'all important things are bad?'"

El shrugged. "When important things happen, usually it means I have to do something I don't want to do." She allowed Joyce to ponder her words for a few extra moments as she reached over to help herself to a sip from the glass of tea she had on the nightstand; tea was something that Will had taught her how to make. She had come to enjoy it quite a lot.

"I don't think that's entirely true," Joyce finally replied. El was about to reply but she got cut off. "But you're right, I do have something important to talk to you about. But that doesn't mean it's bad."

El didn't reply. She was in a difficult mood. If Joyce was going to be bringing her some "important news," she doubted that any good would come from it. She shifted in her bed to look at Joyce directly.

"I don't think this is bad news at all," Joyce began. "I think that you might actually be happy about this." El was confused. She didn't know whether to be hopeful or even more skeptical of the situation.

"What is it?" she asked hesitantly.

Joyce took a deep breath and sat down beside El on her twin bed. "El, do you know what 'moving' is?"

El was confused. Of course she knew what moving was. "It's when someone goes from one place to another," she replied, feeling that the question had been rather pointless. How dumb did Joyce think she was?

"Yes, you're right, but, do you know what it means when someone moves homes?"

El was again confused. "No."

"It's when someone moves away from their current home and goes somewhere else to live."

"For how long?"

Joyce chewed her lip. "Usually, forever. Until they move somewhere else." El's eyes widened. Why would anyone want to move away from their home on purpose? Well, unless it was a bad home, like when she was in the lab. But most people were never raised in a lab like her. The notion seemed ridiculous.

"So they never move back to their real home? Why would anyone want to stay somewhere else?" she asked. This idea of moving was really confusing her.

"No, they… usually don't move back. And it's not they move away from their 'real home,' it's just like… their real home becomes somewhere else. It's not that unusual."

El was done beating around the bush. She had to find out what the point of this conversation was. "Why are you telling me this? Is someone we know moving?"

Joyce paused for a moment before speaking. "No, El," she responded. "We're moving."

El's heart skipped a beat. "W-what?" she stuttered, despite her large efforts to not do so.

"We're all moving away," she restated firmly. "Me, you, Jonathan, and Will. We're moving away from Hawkins."

"Where are we going?" El asked immediately. Her heartbeat was accelerating at a frightening rate. _Please don't let it be far, please don't let it be far._

"A town called Des Moins. It's in Indiana, West of Hawkins."

"How far away is it?" she asked, her insides still feeling like they were falling.

Joyce inhaled slowly. "See, that's the thing, sweetie," she replied. "It's kind of far."

"How far?" she repeated, her voice nearly breaking. But her anger at the situation kept her from showing any signs of sadness.

"It's about… five hours away," she said, her voice sounding like it was laced with regret and doubt.

"Why?" she immediately asked, her heart thumping in her chest loudly, panic rising in her throat. "Why are we leaving?"

"El, can you just calm down, I'll explain-"

"NO!" she screamed as loud as she could. Tears were already streaming down her face so furiously that it looked like she had been crying for days. "Why are we leaving!?" She felt the rage rocketing through her veins like fire, so strong and present that it seemed to overshadow any feeling of sadness or remorse. All she wanted to do was yell and scream.

She had been sad for so long. It made her feel weak. But when she was angry, she felt powerful. Back when she still had her powers, her anger always fueled her and made her stronger. She had used it to save her friends and the people who she loved. But now, the thing was, that no matter how angry she got or how much power she felt like she had, nothing would be able to fix this problem. And she knew it.

Her feet started blindly carrying her out of the room. She had to leave. And it wasn't like she was even thinking about it. It was like her body was making the movements for her. The calls from Joyce echoed in her mind as she moved out of her room and toward the living room, and then near the front door.

"El, please," she begged from behind her. "I can explain-"

"NO!" she shrieked again, but without turning around. She opened the door and took off running without looking back.

Joyce watched in agony as the front door slammed shut. She didn't bother opening it again or trying to get back to her. She was gone.

After peering through the curtained window, and not seeing her, it was evident to her that wherever she was going, it was far from here. And she also knew that it was completely futile to even try to stop her; she was a woman in her early fifties who was dealing with an upset teen. Given her prior experience of parenting Jonathan and Will, she knew that the best course of action was to wait for at least a little bit of time for her to at least calm down so that she could either be approached by El, or, if push came to shove, she could go to her.

But she hoped that El would come to her for eventually to talk.

But what if she didn't? No, she would have to. El may be angry now, but she wasn't stupid. She must recognize at least _some _of the logic in moving. At least, if she was able to rationally think about it for a couple seconds at least. But she was probably so blinded with rage that it never crossed her mind.

Hawkins had cursed her family. It had ripped her away the two men that she had ever truly loved; it had plagued her children with unimaginable grief and pain; it had fucked up her life permanently; the whole family needed something new. Every time she stepped outside and looked around, all she could see was the Upside-Down. She had never told anyone, but her experience of walking around in that alternate dimension with Hopper had traumatized her. Everywhere she went, it felt like she was going to get jumped by a Demogorgon or start seeing those hideous vines again.

It was awful. The only way to escape it all was to get a fresh start. Away from Hawkins. A new town, a new house, new people… it would all be perfect. Of course, they would still stay in contact with their friends back in Hawkins. That was irrefutable. She was well aware of how close kids were to their friends. Not just for their sake, but for hers- she knew she was going to put in one-hundred-percent effort toward keeping their friendship alive.

But that probably sounded a lot different in her head than it did in El's, but hopefully she would soon see the sense in what she thought was a logical decision on her part.

Hopefully.

* * *

Mike was about two minutes away from the Byers home when he saw El sprint across the dirt road and into the woods. He immediately reacted. "El!" he screamed, but she was too far away to hear. She disappeared behind the treeline, and when he lost sight of her, he took off sprinting. A wave of deja vu washed over him in an instant; it had been the same sort of running-after-her-in-the-woods situation that had occurred when their massive fight happened.

Why was she running into the woods? Was it because of him? Did she somehow know he was coming? He hoped not. When he jumped off the road, he started to feel the overgrown plants brushing his shins and he ran forward. He could barely see her anymore, but he kept going forward. Where could she be going? And why was she in such a hurry to get there?

"El!" he screamed out again. This time he was positive that she was within earshot, but she still ignored him. His heart sank just a little bit when he realized that there was a strong chance that she was simply running away from him, but a tiny voice in the back of his mind was whispering to him; it was telling him that there was something bigger going on.

"Go away, Mike!" El yelled, but without looking back. She kept running, and Mike was starting to feel his lungs crying for a break. He cursed his weak stamina but for the sake of the girl who he loved, he ignored the protest from his body and kept going.

"El, where are you going? Are you mad at me?" There was no answer. However, after a few more seconds it became apparent that El was going to the old cabin. Which was odd, because Mike couldn't think of a reason as to why she would want to go there, and in such a rush, nonetheless.

The small house came into view and El let her pace subside slightly, but it was still enough for her to keep an ample distance away from Mike. When she reached the porch, she didn't waste any time in barging through the door and running into her old bedroom.

With Mike hot on her heels, she barely had any time to close the bedroom door before he was already in the room with her, watching her scream and cry with her face buried in the unwashed and musty bed sheets.

Mike stared at El in utter confusion. Surely her breaking down like this could not be attributed entirely to him, right? There had to be something else happening. Something else must have had occurred that caused her to act like this. He reached out and placed a shaky and unsure hand on her shoulder. When she didn't pull away, he crawled onto the bed with her and hugged her slowly from behind.

He felt her tense up in his arms at first, but she eventually surrendered to his hold and melted into his body, completed letting out all of the doubt that was fogging her mind. She sagged back and held his forearms tightly and tried to calm down but it was hard. For nearly ten minutes, all she could do was gasp and breath and sob, but Mike never let go. He just sat there patiently, waiting.

El took a deep breath and hiccuped once, and felt that she could finally speak. "Mike?" Her voice was scratchy and raw from all of the yelling and crying that she had endured in the last twenty minutes.

"Yeah?" Mike answered while slowly rubbing one of her bare forearms with his thumb.

"I… don't know what to say," she told him. It was the truth; it seemed like her brain was gone, and in its place, a tornado that was made of questions and worries and emotions was whirling furiously.

"Okay," he replied slowly. "How about I talk and ask you some questions, and you listen and answer them the best you can?"

"Okay," she sniffed, still not turning around. She was still resting the back of her head on his chest, staring at the wall.

"I'm sorry," Mike began. "I don't know if this is all because of me, and I hope that it isn't, but if it is, I'm sorry. And even if it isn't, I still am. I know that I was wrong to keep that stuff about Hopper away from you. I guess I thought that I knew better, but I didn't. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for all that shit I said to you in the woods by Steve's. I didn't mean any of it. I was just upset-"

"I'm sorry, too," El apologized back, attempting to cut off his trademark nervous ramble. "And I'm- I'm sorry for h-h-hitting you," she added, but not before melting down again and bursting into another fit of tears.

"Hey, hey, hey," Mike said softly, hugging her closer. "It's okay. Shhh, it's okay. Don't worry, it's fine, okay? You didn't hurt me. I deserved it anyway."

"N-no, you d-didn't," she hiccuped. "I don't know why I did it."

"You were mad at me, okay? It's fine. You don't have to apologize."

"No, I do," she cried. "Mike, I'm sorry for everything. I'm so sorry."

He swallowed heavily. "It's okay, El."

They sat in silence for another five or so minutes. Mike wanted El to calm down before he said anything else, because he still had a big hunch that he was yet to understand the full extent of what was truly happening. When it seemed like El had quieted down, he inhaled nervously. "El?"

"Yes?"

"Why were you running away from the Byers?"

Silence.

"El?"

"Mike…" she trailed off. Good God, something terrible must have happened. Mike's heart rate was picking up quickly.

"El, just tell me what happened. Please," he almost begged. He needed to know what had caused her to become this upset. He rubbed her shoulders, still hugging her from behind. He still wasn't able to see her face from where he was.

"Hey, turn around," he said softly. "Let me see you."

"No," she replied shortly, letting out a small cry as she did so. "I don't want you to see me right now."

"Shh, El, that's bullshit. Let me see you." He loosened his hold on El and scooted backward on the bed. He rotated her body with slight force, and he felt her eventually give up and begrudgingly turn around. Her face was red and her eyes were glistening and puffy. Mike had only ever seen her this upset a couple of times before. He gulped inwardly but forced himself to put on a brave face.

He cupped her face in his heads and planted a gentle but meaningful and reassuring kiss on her semi-open mouth. "El, what happened?"

El seemed to refuse to look Mike in the eye. She was focusing on spot in the middle of his chest. Her mouth opened but no words came out at first. "Joyce… Joyce told me something."

"Joyce told you something? What did she tell you?" Mike immediately answered. His stomach felt like it was going to jump out of his throat. What had Joyce said to El to make her this upset? What could have possibly happened?

"She said…" her voice faded away.

"El, it's okay. You can tell me. Just tell me," he pressed, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. They were looking eye to eye now, facing one another directly. A single tear fell trickled down El's emotionally-scarred faced. Mike joined his hands with El's limp ones. "El, tell me."

"We're moving," she blurted out. "We're moving to a town that's five hours away in a month, and I'll never be able to see you again. We're getting separated again, Mike." She had barely finished her sentence before she exploded again and lunged forward and grabbed Mike like he was the last thing in the whole universe. Her body shook violently, and all he did was hug her back. He just whispered whatever comforting things to El that he could think of, and maintained as calm a face as possible.

But on the inside, he was fighting off the worst pain he had felt since that night in the school two years ago.

**Okay, guys, that's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Exams are in less than two weeks, so I'm not gonna make any promises about this chapter, but I can give my personal guarantee that I will never abandon this story, not until season 4 drops. As always, PLEASE drop a review! I remember in one chapter I got, like 8 and I LOVED replying to all of them. So please, let me know! Take care, guys :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey everyone! I'm REALLY sorry for the long wait... the final month of the semester was awful. I had no time to do any writing at all, or any time to myself in general. I've been off for a few days, and I worked through this chapter in little bits in pieces since the last chapter, and finished it yesterday. I'm sorry if it seems kind of broken and un-flowy, but I really wanted to give you guys a new chapter. I hope it's not too bad :)**

**Luna0603: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you left those sad faces, haha. That was the reaction I was hoping for; I think that this move was really gut-wrenching for all the characters, especially Mike and El. One of my main goals in this fic was to portray it, because I don't think season 3 conveyed it really well. And good take on Joyce! That's the way I see it too; lots of mixed feelings with her character. Also, yes, it is time for Mike to put on the strong face. But maybe this chapter will be a little bit different... I hope you enjoy! I'm still adoring TTWAS! Guys, make sure to check Luna0603's ****_Tied Together With A Smile, _****it is a great story!**

**Vader115: Sounds good. I'll call you HyperSushi from now on XD Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I have more plans for El and Mike's development until the move, I hope you stick around to see it!**

**39CluesStrangerThings-Star: I believe the filming Stranger Things in the beginning of February, I am super excited too! And thank you so much 3 I'm glad that you enjoy my writing!**

Mike groggily opened his eyes and the first thing he noticed was that his left arm had fallen asleep. He blinked a couple of times and looked over and realized that El had fallen asleep on his arm. They were spooning, and he had been holding her from behind. He hadn't even realized that they had fallen asleep, but apparently, they must have. He was able to see her body rise and fall rhythmically. He ignored the pins and needles in his arm and pulled El closer to him and snaked one of his arms around her body to hug her closer by her stomach.

He buried his face into the crook of her neck and breathed quietly, inhaling her smell. For a brief moment, he felt calm. Like everything was going to be okay, and that nothing would ever come between them. She tended to have that kind of effect on him.

Unfortunately, he now knew that every single promising thought in his mind was, no matter how strong, pointless. He forced another lump in his throat back down, not wanting to start making a scene in front of El, who he was confident was upset enough, without him blubbering like a baby. He needed to be strong for her, like he always was.

However, he couldn't ignore the fact that his arm was completely numb, having fallen asleep with El's weight squishing his arm. He really wanted to get his arm free, so he gritted his teeth and slowly wriggled his arm out from under her body. When it was free, he let out a sigh and rolled over onto his back. His hands made their way into his hair and he started to rake through it, trying to curb his emotions.

How could this be happening? With the exception of the last few months (even the last month had been going well. It was really just July.), everything had been going great. Their relationship had progressed in several ways, and now that this argument had finally been resolved, their bond felt even stronger. But right after it gets solved, this bombshell gets dropped on them.

It was enough to make him cry. He felt like he was losing her again. Because he was, in a sense; where would she be going? Somewhere far. How often would he see her? Not often at all. What if they grew apart? What if she started liking someone else in her new town? What if _he _started liking someone else?

The questions were bombarding him non stop, and he could feel himself getting quickly overwhelmed. He got up from the bed and made his way to the bathroom of the abandoned cabin. He closed the door and locked it and stared into the cracked mirror, his own empty eyes gazing back at him. He gripped the sides of the sink so hard that his hands hurt, trying to curb his anger and frustration.

A knock at the door shattered his thoughts. He realized that there was moisture in his eyes, so he wiped it away quickly. "Mike? Are you in there?" a soft voice asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, trying to make his voice sound less shaky than it was. He didn't make any move to open the door.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Mike sniffed. "I don't know," he replied honestly.

"Can I come in?" He couldn't see why not. He composed himself quickly and turned the doorknob to see El standing in front of the doorway, looking at him with concern. "Are you upset?"

Mike moved forward and wrapped his arms around El's petite frame, leaning down slightly so he could get them all the way around shoulders, pulling her close as possible to him. "I don't know what to think, El," he admitted. "Ever since I met you, all I ever wanted to do was be with you. That year you were gone was the worst year of my life. And now I feel like it's happening all over again."

He felt a tear slip down his cheek. "I don't want you to go again," he suddenly cried out, and his whole body started shaking. He was sobbing violently now, but he didn't move his face away from El's shoulder because he didn't want her to see him like this; he was embarrassed. He was supposed to be the shoulder to cry on for her, not the other way around. And yet, here he was, acting like a fool, with El being the one who was slowly rubbing his back and shushing him.

"El, I'm sorry," he apologized through his hiccups. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's okay, Mike," she whispered back. "I can't always be the one crying all the time."

Mike exhaled a breathy chuckle. "Still," he insisted. "You're the one moving away."

El remained quiet for a moment, thinking about what he said. "It doesn't matter which one of us moving. We're still going to be apart," she replied. "I'd be crying if you were moving away."

"I guess," Mike sniffed. He finally pulled away from the hug, looking into El's eyes. Was now a good time to tell her? Tell her the thing he had been struggling to tell her for the past half year?

_I love you_. Maybe it was time. He could just blurt it now. But how exactly would he say it? Would he give some context, at least? Would he just say it?

"Let's do something," El suggested. "To take our minds off it."

_Fuck_. Mike cursed himself for overthinking this again. Before he could continue kicking himself, he was being pulled to the couch in the living room. It was torn up in a lot of places, but it still looked comfy enough.

They flopped onto the cushions together, and El curled up her legs and leaned to the side against Mike, letting her right-hand rest on his stomach while the other wrapped around one of his hands. "I wonder if the TV works?" he wondered aloud.

"It doesn't," El replied. "I've tried turning it on before."

"Do you ever come here?" Mike asked.

"Sometimes. When I want to be alone."

"Don't you get any privacy with the Byers's? You have your own room, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's better here."

Mike looked around the cabin. It was very musty and dirty, having been left on its own for a while, but he'd be lying if it didn't have some sort of sense of comfort. It was small and cozy. "I can't disagree with that."

"Mm-hm," she agreed. "It used to be hard to come in here, because I would always think about Dad. But now, when I come here, it's like I feel… closer to him." Mike smiled to himself.

"We have to make sure to come here as much we can then. After you move."

"Yes," El agreed, nodding her head resolutely. Right after replying, she became acutely aware of how close her hand was to Mike's crotch. She bit her lip nervously. After finishing those magazines a few days ago, she had been really eager to progress things a little more in terms of their relationship. She had not seen Mike's penis yet- a part of her was actually very interested in it; she had read about the different things they could do together that wasn't actually sex. She still wanted to preserve her virginity for a while longer.

She turned her head up and released her hold on his hand to bring it up to the side of his face. Turning her head toward him, she pressed her lips against his firmly. Mike reciprocated instantly, without missing a beat. Their lips moved together, the feeling of the friction between them melting away all the problems that they had been facing the whole day. El turned her body ninety degrees toward him, shifting so that she was kneeling on the couch facing him. Mike did the same so that their chests were completely parallel to one another.

Mike was already at the far edge of the couch, so he wasn't able to lean back or anything, but it quickly became less of a concern to him as soon as El started pulling him down onto the couch with her, so that she was on her back and he was sprawled over her. Their kiss never lessened in intensity through the transition, but instead grew wilder and more urgent.

El quickly started to feel the familiar warmth travel down her body, a feeling she had grown used to in the last few months of experimentation with Mike. It spurred her on, and she pressed her tongue gingerly forward against Mike's lips, and he met hers with his own quickly. She was being crushed by his weight almost, but not so much as to cause her discomfort, but to feel warm and protected and safe. He had propped some of his weight onto his elbows that were positioned on either side of her torso, with his hands slowly grazing back and forth at the sides of her breasts through her bra. She was aware of this, and her breathing seemed to automatically grow more and more shallow and rapid with excitement.

One of his hands made its way to the hem of her shirt, and he started to tug it upward slowly and cautiously. Even though he had already seen her topless before, he still wanted to maintain a sense of humility and consideration; he never wanted to make El feel uncomfortable or pressured. That's why his heart almost turned to ice when she pulled away from the kiss.

"Mike," she said, her eyes staring right at him.

He swallowed. "Is everything okay?" he asked nervously, worried that he might have done something wrong.

"You can stop being so careful," she replied.

"What?"

She smiled back at him sweetly. "I know that you want to be careful with me, Mike, but…" she drew a circle with her finger on his chest. "But you don't have to be. I'll tell you if something is wrong, I promise."

"Oh...okay," he said, his nerves finally easing. At that, El reached down herself and pulled her shirt up, revealing her slender stomach. She shuffled it over her shoulders and it fell off of her body and landed on the dusty floorboards.

"You're shirt's gonna be dirty as hell, now," he said, smirking at her.

"Shh," she shushed him, and pulled him again, trying to re-establish the mood they had had a couple of moments ago. It wasn't hard, because soon they were going at it again, as if they had never stopped. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and El felt like she was going to explode. She wanted more.

Desperately, she grabbed the bottom of Mike's shirt and yanked it up with little preamble. He helped her in pulling it over his head, and then leaned back down and pressed his mouth against her skin just above her collarbone. She gasped. "Mike, yes," she breathed quietly, barely loud enough for it to be heard. He traced a careful line with his mouth up to the side of her neck and started to nibble on the skin, punctuated with strokes of his tongue here and there. In response, she the fingers of one hand into his air and raked the other along his bare back, leaving red lines that were barely noticed.

Mike turned his attention to the other side of her neck, and El let out a soft moan. His dick was throbbing at the point; it was almost completely in line with her center. He knew that El had already confirmed with him that he didn't need to be so careful, but he was still hesitant to start with any dry-humping (that was always really enjoyable). He creased his brow and turned away from her neck and looked at her again.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice concerned.

"El," he began unsurely. "Are you sure that you're okay with me… not being so cautious?"

She looked at him with slight exasperation. "Mike, yes. I promise. Now stop talking." She went back in, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. She bucked her hips up to meet his body and a groan escaped both of their throats. El shifted lower down the bed, and wrapped her right leg around Mike's body and pulled him in even tighter, and she felt his dick spear into her. It felt euphoric, and it motivated her to snake her other leg around his bottom and pulled him into her again.

Mike finally took the hint and started to drive his hips rhythmically into her own, and she matched each of his movements with her own motions. Caught up in the moment and without a second thought, El reached down and brought her hand underneath his shorts and grasped his hard dick through his boxers. "Oh, _fuck_," he murmured, barely letting go of the kiss, practically speaking into her mouth

"Do you like that?" El asked. She tried to sound a little bit flirty, but it was also a genuine question. Mike wasn't the only one in the relationship who wanted to respect the other's boundaries.

"Yeah," he whispered. It felt like he was going to fucking explode. He had only had

dreams of this sort of thing before, things that he thought of only when he was jerking off in his bed at night, fantasizing about doing all sorts of things with El that he wouldn't dare say out loud (some of which he was even embarrassed to admit himself). Something in him awoke suddenly, like some sort of animal-like force flew through his body and took over his mind.

El wanted him to throw caution to the wind? Then that's what he would do.

His hand flew from its spot on her breast, where it had been idly lingering for a few minutes and let it cross her stomach and lower down. It dipped below the waist of her pants and found its mark on the fabric of her drenched panties, hot and wet. The feeling of her arousal on his fingers was almost enough to make him cum right there, but he held it down.

The feeling of someone else touching her there drove El crazy. She had only experimented with masturbation a couple of times before, and of course, it had felt good, but it wasn't even come close to being comparable to what she was feeling right now. "_Oh, fuck, _Mike! Mike, please…"

He grinned mischievously, glad that his boldness was paying off. He had never touched a girl's vagina before, but he had gathered some information from stupid middle school conversations and sneaky glances through Playboy magazines behind locked doors, so he thought he had some sort of decent idea about what to do. He pressed his fingers into her, and she gasped, drawing away from the kiss. Her breathing grew rapid.

With a nervous but oddly confident breath, he slid his fingers underneath her soaked panties and ran them through her slippery folds. They felt so heavenly, so warm and wet.

El's senses were overwhelmed; Mike had barely done anything but it felt like she was

going to burst from the overload of feeling. With her boyfriend running his fingers along her pussy and gently massaging her other breast with his hand, she was in paradise. But the anticipation was too great for her; she wanted to feel Mike's fingers inside her. "Mike," she whimpered. "Put your fingers in. Finger me," she begged. She remembered reading that term in one of the magazines. She wanted him to do it so bad to her.

Mike let out an involuntary groan. Her words were so hot; she was so sexy. He wasn't going to double-check if she was being serious; clearly she had given him permission, and she had told him explicitly to stop being so careful. And he didn't want to ruin the mood or something, so he did what she asked without any second thought.

He found what he was looking for, the dip between her legs that indicated exactly where her hole was; her walls were so drenched. Taking time to be extra careful, he added pressure with his single pointer finger excruciatingly slowly. She was tight; he didn't want to hurt her. He had no idea if she had ever experimented herself, but her fingers were a lot more slender then his were. Everything was so soft and warm; the thought of one day having actual sex with her crossed his mind in a flash, and his mind almost melted at that.

El was squeezing her eyes shut tightly; the feeling of Mike pleasuring like this was proving to be an experience that she would indulge in again. There was a lot of pressure, and it felt kind of painful but extremely pleasant at the same time. Whatever it was, she wanted it to continue. She let out another hum of ecstasy, and Mike took the hint and fully hilted his index finger into her.

It was met with a cry from El, but one filled with pleasure, not pain. He was able to differentiate between the two, he had heard a variety of both sides. "Mike it feels so good, so good," she mewled, clasping onto his wrist.

"Good," he said, and leaned down to kiss her lips. El kissed him back enthusiastically, nibbling his lower lips with her teeth before he pulled away and turned his attention to her neck. As he did so, he started to pump his finger in and out of her, and that combined with the sucking on her skin was too much for her to keep her composure, and she let out a loud keen that for sure would have alerted everyone in the house if they were at the Byers'.

"El?" Mike paused. "Are you okay?"

"Mike, don't stop!" she commanded, bucked her hips on his hand again. He didn't respond, he went back to what he was doing, sliding his finger in and out of her making around two cycles per second, which was a pace that was clearly good for both of them; his fingers weren't tired, and El's chest was still heaving up and down, letting out deep breaths.

She had gotten used to Mike's single finger. It felt good, still, but… she was ready to increase things now. "Mike," she whispered softly. "Put in more. More fingers. Please."

He spoke with his mouth mere centimeters from her neck, muffling his voice. "Are you su-"

"Mike, do it, please!" she urged desperately. He complied, and lined his middle finger up as well and started to slide it in along with his index at the same time. He could feel the tightness around his fingers increase as he increased the depth, and it was almost too tight for him to get it in.

"El, is this okay?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, Mike, keeping going, please," she babbled, no longer in control of what she was saying. It felt so good. "Mike, go faster, please." He once again complied and moved in quicker.

"Oh, fuck," she murmured. The feeling of it was getting her close. She was approaching the edge, and it was building in her quickly.

Mike found that his fingers were getting tired, and he was intrigued about something that he recalled in prior conversations and readings; the clitoris. From what he had gathered, it was a really sensitive part that could cause a lot of stimulation. But he had also heard that it was supposedly really hard to find. He was determined to find it though; he wanted to make El orgasm so bad. So fucking bad.

El was leaned back, her spine curled so that the small of her back was raised above the couch. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was frozen with her lips slightly parted, breathing hard and labored. So he took the opportunity to lower his other hand down to her opening where he saw his fingers moving in and out of her. They were wrinkled as if he had been swimming in a pool, and they practically shining with the juice that was coating them.

He placed his other hand just above where she was thrusting into her and started to rub along her folds at the top of her pussy. "Fuck, Mike, keep doing that, please," she pleaded. He did, kept stroking her from the outside.

And then he found it. He knew.

It was like a soft little nub resting right above the opening, it felt swollen. He rubbed his finger along it and a loud moan erupted out of her mouth, and she reached up with one of her own hands and fisted her breast, squeezing it hard.

It felt like things had gone from zero to one hundred in half of a second. A ripple of feelings that felt like they were drug-induced exploded through her body like a firework. Like everything else had been, it seemed like it was one million times better than when she did them alone. With his two hands working her, one moving around and curling up against her inner walls and the other pressing and rubbing on her clit she let out a squeal and came undone, her orgasm shaking the entire room.

"Oh, Mike," she shouted, and yanked his face down to her own and kissed him messily, practically all tongue, a wordless thank you. Mike's fingers exited her and they lead back up to her breasts. He gave them a gentle squeeze as he kissed her back.

"Was that good?" he asked her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She reached down and tugged her pants back up (she was already fully clothed from the waist down because Mike had never actually taken off her underwear). A dreamy, entranced glaze was over her eyes and plastered across her face.

"It was…" she was lost for words. "Amazing. The best thing I have ever felt," she said dreamily, looking over at Mike through half-closed eyes. "Thank you."

Mike laughed. "You don't have to thank me, El," he replied, putting his shirt back on. "It's fine."

"Okay," El said, slipping her shirt back on, but then pausing. It occurred to her that Mike had just given her in her life, but she had not done anything to please him. "Mike, do you want me to-

"No, it's okay, El," he interrupted her. Don't get him wrong, Mike really did like the idea of continuing to fool around with El, but they had already been hanging out for a while, and he knew that he had family coming over later that he had to be around for; he was not anticipating for a such a huge chunk of his day to be taken up by this. "It's getting late. I have to get back to my house soon, and I have to walk."

El's face fell. "I don't want to go back to Joyce's house," she mumbled, lying back down on the couch and staring back at the wooden ceiling.

Mike frowned, realizing that there was a problem. "Is it because you're mad at her, or did you have a fight or something? What exactly what happened, El?"

She sat up and leaned her back against the couch, rubbing her eyes. "Just… everything. She asked me if I knew what moving was, and I said no. She explained it to me, and then told me that we were moving to a town really far away, and that we aren't going to ever move back here. I got mad, and ran out of the house."

Mike came to El's side and sat beside her on the couch and wrapped one of his arms tightly around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Are you mad at her still?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied, her voice slightly shaky. "I feel… part of me is mad at myself. I don't think I was nice to her. But I'm mad too. Why is she making us move? It isn't fair, Mike," she vented, leaning her cheek on his shoulder. "Why would she want to seperate us?"

"Well, I'm sure there were other factors in her decision, El…"

"I know," she cut him off. "I'm just…" she trailed off. "Mike, I never know anything anymore." She looked at him with a pained look in her eyes. "Ever since… since Dad died, everything has just been changing too much. Everything is changing and I don't like it. I want to stay here with you. I want to go to school with you and be with the rest of our friends. I don't want to go somewhere else."

"I know, El. I want to stay with you too." El hugged him tightly, digging her fingers into his hair and rubbing his back, trying to keep her emotions in check. She loved him so much.

So fucking much.

"Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you promise me something?"

Their eyes met. "What is it?"

El grabbed his hand softly in both of hers. She rubbed her thumb over it in adoration. "Promise me… _if _I do end up moving away, and we get separated… promise me that… that you'll still be my boyfriend."

He squeezed her hand back. "I promise, El," he replied. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

**Alright guys, Chapter 27 is in the books... please leave a review, I'm not getting as many reviews as I used to lmao. I love reading them and replying to them, so please leave your thoughts! I'll see you guys in the next chapter. Take care :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey everyone, welcome back! This chapter is a little on the small side, but I didn't really want to take it much further. The next things that happen I feel should have their own chapter. I try to not make chapters based off length, but content. So I hope you guys don't mind. I really like how this chapter turned out, a lot of Mileven fluff :)**

**Jullauk: Yes, I'm glad they're back together. I couldn't keep them apart for too long, haha**

**HyperSushi: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this one, too!**

**Luna0603: You're reviews are amazing, thank you so much! Yeah, I had to make sure to show both sides of things with this fight. I feel that sometimes in stories, the shit men go through is kind of understated. It's important to show that Mike is still a vulnerable boy who's in love. I like that El was able to be there for him, too. I'm glad the smut was good! Doing stuff for the first time is always awkward and kind if hesitant, so I tried extra hard to capture that element. Glad it paid off! The ending was really sad too. But don't worry, this is Mileven we're talking about. They can make it through anything :) Great work on TTWAS, as always! **

With a finger to his lips, Mike beckoned through the door to his basement from his backyard. El scurried quietly past him and he delicately closed the door, careful to make as little noise as possible. "You can stay here for as long as you want," he whispered to her.

El nodded and sat down on the couch, glancing up at the open basement door. "I don't know when I will go back to Joyce," she wondered aloud.

"It's fine, you can figure it out here," he replied. "Look, my aunt is going to be here any minute. Just camp out down here until she leaves, and I'll be back soon. You know where the books and stuff are, right?" El nodded. "Okay. I'm going to go around front and get through the door so she's not suspicious. Okay?"

"Okay," she answered. Mike smiled and scampered over to give her a quick peck on the lips. He almost said 'I love you,' but quickly resisted. It wasn't a good time. He exited quickly through the backdoor where they had come in from and crossed the yard to get into the house.

* * *

Will and Jonathan came through the front door of their house to see their Mom sitting on the living room couch, cradling her face in her palms, looking very forlorn.

Jonathan immediately came to her side, with Will in pursuit. "Mom, what's wrong?" he asked.

Joyce looked up. "I told El about the move." Will's faces fell. This was _not _good. He wasn't sure if Jonathan knew about the situation with Mike and El, but he probably didn't.

"You did _what_?" Will repeated.

"I told El that we're moving in a month or two," she repeated.

"Why would you do that now?!" Will came close to yelling, but bit back his frustration and anger. "I told you to wait!"

"Will, it's too late already! We should have told her ages ago! She had to find out eventually! You kept telling me to wait with telling her, but you never told me why, so I just bit the bullet."

"And how did that go for you?" Will spat through gritted teeth.

Joyce was quickly losing patience. "Why are you being so snarky with me?" she said, her voice flaring. "Is there something you're not telling me, Will?"

His temper was hammering. "Yes, there is, _Mom,_" he answered venomously, adding an extra sarcastic tone to the last word 'Mom.'

"Do you want to spit it out this time, or are you just going to keep hiding things from me?" she answered in an equal tone.

"El and Mike are currently broken up. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't think El would want you to know, and I really think that it would have been better if they were in a more stable point in their relationship, so that Mike could have helped her through it, but I guess that won't be an option now, will it?" Will exploded, releasing about a week's worth of pent up anxiety and frustration.

Joyce looked frozen for a second, as if realizing the mistake she had made. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I told you! We live with El, and I didn't think that she would want you knowing unless it came from her! And now we're in this mess with El! Where is she?"

"She… she ran out of the house when I told her. I don't know where she is."

Jonathan had been watching the whole conversation unfold in front of him, as he had not known about the situation with Mike and El, and he also had not known that Will had been advising their Mom not to tell El. But he felt like it was his time to step into the conversation.

"Okay, well, we have to find El and get her back here. She's probably losing her mind," he inputted.

"Where could she have gone?"

"Could she have been with Mike? He called earlier," Joyce asked.

Will perked up at that. "He called? What did he say?"

"He wanted to talk to you, but I told him you were out with Jonathan." _He probably wanted to talk about El. _And then, when he wasn't home, he must have decided to just chance it and come. But El had left the house… could they have met up somehow?

"Did he ever end up coming? Mike?"

"No, I never saw him. He never came to the house." _So maybe they did meet up. _

"I think that Mike and El might have met up. Because if he was coming here, and El was running out, they probably crossed paths."

"Didn't you say they were broken up? Wouldn't they just end up fighting?"

"It's Mike and El, Jonathan. They can't stay mad at each other for long, it's impossible for them."

"So where would they have gone?"

"If they met up, probably Mike's house, no?"

"That makes sense," Jonathan agreed. "But how do we know if that's what happened?"

"We could call Mike, maybe," Will suggested.

"Okay, I'll call the house," Joyce announced, and walked toward the kitchen phone.

It occurred to Will that if Joyce called the Wheeler house, there was a chance that Mike would pick up. And if that happened, there was also a strong chance that he was going to give his mom an earful. He thought about maybe advising her against it. _You know what? She created this mess. She can deal with it._

* * *

Mike was sitting quietly at the dining table, listening to his parents and grandparents drone on about something he wasn't even aware of. He idly poked his food, finding the thought of putting anything in his mouth near sickening. The thought of El moving away along with the rest of the Byers was lingering in his head. He had also been thinking about Will; he had been so caught up with El, with the fight and all, he had not even thought about the fact that not only was he going to be saying goodbye to the girl he loved, but also his best friend since fucking kindergarten.

"Mike? Are you okay?" Mike looked up from his plate to see the rest of his family staring at him. There was concern etched onto Karen's face. Mike knew that she had a gift of being able to tell when something was wrong.

"Yeah, everything's fine, I'm just not that hungry, I guess." It was a lie, of course, but right now he just wanted to get her off his back so he could go back downstairs and be with El. "Could I be excused?"

Karen sighed. "Are you sure? You've barely touched your potatoes and-"

"Mom, I'm just not hungry. Can I please go?" She looked around the table, and everyone shrugged absentmindedly. Mike wasn't particularly close to his Dad's parents, so he didn't expect them to object or anything.

"Sure. Leave your plate on the table," Karen nodded.

"Thanks, Mom," he replied, and quickly got out of his seat, pushed it in, rinsed the plate off in the kitchen sink and took off to the basement. He had barely gotten off the bottom step of the basement when the phone rang.

"Mike? Can you get that?" Karen called from upstairs.

"Yeah," he yelled back. He picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mike? It's Joyce." _Shit. _He did _not _want to talk to her right now. But what was he going to do, hang up on her? He would have loved to do that. This was the woman who was responsible for Will and El being dragged away soon. He clenched his jaw.

"Hi, Joyce," he managed. He saw El out of the corner of his eye widen her eyes.

"Uh, we had a bit of a… situation at the house today with El," Joyce said. "She ran away from the house. Are you with her right now?"

Mike could feel his blood pressure rising exponentially. Joyce had the nerve to call him? The boy who was getting the love of his fucking life ripped away again, when she was the cause of it? How dare she. He had to bite back the urge to scream through the phone at her and tell her to go to Hell. Did she think that he didn't know what exactly was going on?

"Yeah, I saw her," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"Oh, thank goodness- are you with her still?"

_What to say, what to say…. _He looked to El covered the receiver and repeated the question to her. He saw his girlfriend rapidly shake her head no.

Mike mulled over what to say. He decided that he agreed. Why the fuck should he be honest with Joyce? In the next month or so, the person who met more than anything to him would be moving away, at which point he would only be able to see her a couple of times a year. And for what?

Right now she was sitting in his basement, feeling upset and betrayed by the person who had taken her in. And Mike wanted to spend time with her, and she wanted to spend time with him. After all, in the near future, that time would be gone. So why not make the best of it now?

Fuck Joyce.

"No, I tried to get her attention, but she just ran into the woods. I lost her when I tried chasing her."

Joyce cursed under her breath. "Where do you think she could have gone?"

"I don't know. Maybe Hopper's cabin? She likes to go there sometimes."

"Okay, I'll maybe go out. It's not too late."

"Okay, Mrs. Byers. Good luck."

"Thank you, sweetie. Have a safe night." The line went dead. After being called sweetie, Mike felt a pang of guilt for lying through his teeth to the person who had been almost a second Mom to him for the better part of his life, but when he looked back at El, who was staring blankly at the wall, looking like a lost puppy, whatever regret he had diminished quickly.

"What did she say?" El asked when Mike returned to the couch to sit beside her.

"She said she was going to go out looking for you in the woods near the cabin. It won't be dark for another few hours, it's August, after all."

El nodded, not at all concerned for her adoptive mother. She had always been thankful for Joyce and all she did, but it felt like this recent development had completely undone whatever feelings had been forged for her. She felt nothing but burning contempt. Not only toward Joyce, it occurred to her that the chances were high that Will and Jonathan knew.

And then it dawned on her.

All the weeks of her getting the feeling like she was being hidden from something… this was it. This was the secret they had been hiding all along. Her eyes started to sting as the feelings of betrayal and loss began to set in.

Mike, of course, noticed immediately and had her in his arms in an instant. "Hey, shhh," he soothed. "It's okay. What's wrong? What happened?"

"Mike, I-" she hiccupped. "Joyce, and Jonathan and Will… th-they lied to me. Th-they were l-lying to me," she sobbed.

"Hey, shh, don't be too loud. My parents can't know you're here," he began. "But what do you mean? What's going on with them? They lied to you?"

"Y-yes," she replied, trying her best to maintain a hushed tone. "The whole m-month, I kept getting the f-feeling they were hiding something from me. Th-they always said it was n-nothing when I asked, but they were hiding this. They didn't want me to know that we were going to move away."

Mike's heart felt like it was shattering. It was almost sickening to hear her tell him what had been going on. This whole time, the Byers' had been taking care of El, but they were really just hiding her from the truth, pulling the wool over their eyes. This couldn't have been a last-minute decision. They must have known for months before that this was happening. Why wouldn't they have told El? Why would they spring this on her only around a month before they were planning to leave? There had to be some reason. They couldn't have been that spiteful.

"Maybe they just… didn't know how to tell you. Or they didn't want to make you upset."

"That doesn't make a difference, Mike," she sniffled. "If I had known I was only going to have four or five more weeks with you, I would have just came to you earlier and told you I'm sorry. I didn't want to have this fight with you. I wanted to be with you the whole time."

"I know, El, me too," Mike replied simply, rubbing her back in a circular pattern, feeling her breath into his shoulder.

"Maybe we could change their mind?" El suggested, sounding like she was clinging to the final shred of hope.

"I don't think so, El," Mike replied painfully. "If you guys are leaving so soon, the house is probably already sold." She nodded back slowly, understanding what he was saying.

"I don't want to go," she cried.

"Me neither," he replied. "I wish you could stay."

"I'm going to stay here for as long as you'll let me."

"El, if it was up to me, I'd let you live here forever," he smiled, and she let out a soft, beautiful laugh for the first time in days. "It's still early. Do you want to put on a movie or something?"

She nodded, and Mike got up off the couch to find a VHS tape he could put in. His gaze fell on the three _Star Wars _cases, and a lightbulb went off in his head. "Hey, we never ended up watching _Star Wars_, did we?"

"No," she answered. "Can we watch them today?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Mike replied happily as he slid the tape into the VHS player. He silently thanked his mom and dad for investing in a second small television set to put in the basement. Within moments, the opening crawl was being shown on the screen, and Mike dimmed the lights. He threw a soft blanket over themselves and allowed El to cuddle in close to him, resting her head and hand on his chest.

They were able to get through the first movie without too much making out, mostly because whenever Mike tried, El would end up gently pushing him away after a few moments. She was genuinely interested in the film, which made him happy.

"How did you like it?" he asked as he grabbed _The Empire Strikes Back _from the shelf and took it out of the box.

"It was really good," she smiled, pulling the blanket up to her chin. "Can you get another blanket? I'm kind of cold."

"Yeah," Mike said, and returned to her holding a second fluffy piece of fabric. He threw it over El and then joined her underneath. With the footrests up and the backrests leaned far back, it felt like they were in a bed. Watching _Star Wars, _of all things. He laughed to himself, thinking back to when he was twelve years old, when he thought that such a thing would never happen to him.

"What are you laughing at?" El asked him, punctuating her question with a kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, wrapping one of his arms around her body and pulling him close. He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm just so lucky to be with you."

* * *

After Mike's grandparents had left, they had resumed the _Star Wars _marathon. They plowed through the last two movies, El being utterly captivated the entire time. Mike was ecstatic that she actually agreed to watch them all. _If she was a regular girl, she wouldn't have done that. _

And after they had finished, she said that she had really enjoyed the trilogy, which made him even happier.

"Who's your favorite character?" he asked her as they were prepping the pull-out to sleep in.

"I really liked Luke Skywalker. He had powers like the ones I used to have," she replied. Mike detected a hint of sadness in her voice at the mention of her powers, but he didn't want to start with that can of worms. He continued the conversation in hopes to make her forget about it, for now.

"Yeah, Luke is the main character. Most people like him. I think my favorite character is either him or Han Solo."

"Oh, yeah," El nodded slowly. "I forgot about him… I think he might be my favorite, actually."

"Really? Why?" he asked. El looked at him with a toothy grin. Mike laughed. "What?"

"He was..." El remembered the word that Max used to describe that Ralph Macchio when they had that sleepover a couple of months ago. She figured that Han fit the word better than anyone. "He was hot."

Mike stood stock still for a second before breaking out into a wide grin, which quickly turned into a laugh. El crossed the room and playfully slapped his arm. "What? You told me that you like Carrie Fisher!"

"Yeah, yeah… I know. I just… wasn't expecting to hear that," he chuckled, bringing her closer to him for a long hug. He let his hand linger in her beautiful hair; it had grown a fair amount over the last two or so months. It was so long and soft… he loved to run his fingers through it.

After a few moments, he broke the embrace and placed a lingering kiss on her lips, letting them move together for a few seconds before letting go. "It's late. We should go to bed."

El nodded. "I'll go change in the bathroom."

"Okay." Mike watched her close the door. He slipped out of his clothes and threw on the pair of pajamas that were thankfully on the floor. They smelled fine enough to wear. He crawled under the sheets and waited for El to join him. He closed his eyes and after a few moments, he felt his girlfriend wiggle herself beside him, assuming her usual position of the "little spoon" in bed.

He felt her breathing, slowly and rhythmically, almost like music. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

El paused. "A lot better," she admitted. "It was bad this morning. But you made it better."

Mike smiled. "You made it better too."

And together, they both drifted off into a sound sleep in each other's arms.

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! Next chapter should be coming within the next week or two. My apologies for that, life is always busy. Be sure to leave a review so I know what you guys are thinking :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello everyone, I finally finished chapter 29. I'm sorry this one took so long, I've been busy with other stuff lately. Sorry if it seems a little bit broken, I've been working on it bits and pieces for the last two weeks, so it might have come out a little bit choppy, Bu I hope it's still good. There was a lot of stuff that I wanted to do this chapter, I wanted to make sure everything came out as well as possible. You'll see what I mean when you read it. **

**Hypersushi: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too.**

**Luna0603: Thank you so much! I swear, you're reviews keep me writing this fic, haha. You'll see how Joyce reacts toward Mike this chapter. And I'm super happy that you enjoyed the Mileven. I love writing their scenes. I hope you like this chapter :)**

"I think I must have searched every goddamn square inch of the forest," Joyce huffed in frustration when she came through the front door of the Byers home. Will and Jonathan looked up from their food at the dining table. Jonathan had whipped up an omelet for the family to share in Joyce's absence. "Oh, you didn't have to make dinner, Jonathan," Joyce said, her face thankful.

"It's fine, Will and I were getting hungry and you were out," he replied nonchalantly. "So you didn't have any luck?"

"No," she said, fiddling with jacket pockets, clearly stressed.

"Are you sure she didn't end up at Mike's?" Will asked after finishing chewing his bite.

"Well, he didn't say so when I called him," she answered. "I doubt a kid like Mike would have lied."

"Well, look at the circumstances, Mom. You know how close those two are. He'd be upset if he knew about us moving, along with El," Will pointed out.

Joyce chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. Will definitely wasn't wrong; of course, they were close. But she never knew Mike to be so dishonest. But if he was, could she really blame him?

"Maybe we should just go over to his house and see," she wondered.

"Well if you do, can you save it for tomorrow? It's already really late," Jonathan recommended, glancing over at the analog clock in the kitchen.

"What if she's outside somewhere? What if she's in the woods? We can't just leave her," Joyce rambled fretfully.

"Maybe she's at Max's. Or Lucas's, or Dustin's. Or maybe Mike _did_ lie to you because he just found that we're moving El to a town five hours away," Will snapped. "Mom, I'm telling you; wherever El is, she's inside and safe. Okay? Give her some time to cool off, for God's sake."

Joyce could feel guilt starting to seep into her mind. Her boys had a point. El had built a lot of strong connections in this town, and she was kind of cutting them off by making her move with them. But at the same time, she was still confident that this was the best decision for her and her family. Sure, it might be hard in the beginning, right now; she was positive about that. But she had faith that it would all work out in the end.

Hawkin's seemed to be a nesting ground of catastrophe, and even if her family couldn't see that like she could, it didn't matter; she was their mother, and it was her duty to protect them at all costs, even if they didn't want to be protected.

But she supposed it wouldn't hurt to give El some alone time after everything that had happened. She bit back her raging maternal instincts to run back outside and look. "Okay, fine. But first thing tomorrow morning, we're gonna go to every place that she could _possibly_ be and we are finding her, and bringing her back here, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, Mom," Jonathan nodded, trying to mask his lack of patience at the moment. He couldn't help but think that his mom was slightly blowing things out of proportion. How did she expect El to react? "It'll be fine. She's probably at Mike's or Max's. Stop worrying."

Joyce nodded and rubbed her temples with the pads of her fingers. "Okay. You're right, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, just try to get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. You're just stressed out right now."

"Okay, I guess you're right," she sighed. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Will and Jonathan watched their mother walk out of the living room and down the hall toward her bedroom. When she was out of earshot, they both let out a simultaneous groan and leaned back into their seats. They shared a glance, and couldn't help but let out a small grin in spite of themselves.

"I guess you're thinking the same thing I am, huh?" Jonathan chuckled.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "Everything is just so… fucked up." He didn't often curse, but he really couldn't think of a better word.

Jonathan looked at him, his eyes reflecting his understanding. "Mm-hm," he murmured. "Do you really think that El's with Mike right now? Or were you just trying to calm Mom down?"

"Honesty? Yeah, I do," Will replied. "Mike probably lied to her, just to spend some time with her. I wouldn't be surprised if she asked him to. She's probably really upset."

Jonathan clicked his tongue in agreement. "I just hope that we can still come back and visit as often as possible. I know we've been focusing on El a lot, but I really don't want to leave Nancy here, and I'm sure that you don't want to leave your friends."

Will shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not the end of the world, I guess. It's only high school. At least I've been to _school_ before. El hasn't. That's what I'm worried about."

"Yeah, I understand you," he replied. After a few more moments of silence, he spoke again. "I guess you and I will just have to look out for her."

"We will."

* * *

Mike was lying on the pullout couch, his arms wrapped around El from behind; they had gone to bed in their favorite position to cuddle; spooning. He would lie down, and El would push herself back into his body and he would hug her tightly, and the feeling of being so close to her would often be enough to draw him to sleep in seconds.

But not tonight.

His mind was exploding, a constant flurry of thoughts and worries and doubts. It had been like that for most of the night. El seemed like she was doing… okay, considering everything, at least from what he was able to see. But there was so much stuff happening that was keeping him awake. His thoughts had been mainly preoccupied with the move and all, but he had just remembered something else just recently that was enough to make anybody stress.

Him and the rest of the Party were going to be starting high school in just over two weeks. The experience of going to a new school was bad enough when you weren't a social outcast in your middle school. He guessed that it was at least a good thing that El wouldn't be around to see him get his ass kicked by Troy and his goons.

But then again, maybe having a girlfriend would give him some actual respect in the school community… but who knew. He would never find out, anyway. In any case, he had been really excited for El to start school. Even though he knew that she probably wouldn't be enrolled until they were at least in halfway through the ninth grade (because she had so much to catch up on) the idea of being able to do stuff like eat lunch with her and hold her hand in the hallway and sneak out of class together always brought a smile to his face. But those fantasies would never come to fruition.

Perhaps it was better this way. Spending so much time apart would make their time together even more special. After all, they had been separated for a year, and neither of them ever moved on. And Mike hadn't even known if she was alive, and they still got through it.

As long as they were together, no matter how far apart, everything would be okay. Mike pulled El a little closer and planted a soft kiss on the back of her neck. Within a few moments, he was asleep.

El started to stir when she felt a bright beam of light shine against her closed eyes. She squinted on instinct and buried her face into the pillow to shield herself from the sun. But then she couldn't breathe, so she brought her face back up and came eye-to-eye with the boy who had been sleeping with her the entire night.

He was still sleeping, so she didn't want to wake him up. After snaking herself out of his grasp, she made her way to the bathroom. The time was unknown to her; it could have been noon for all she knew, and she had no idea what time they had ended up going to bed. They had stayed for a long time because they hadn't been able to stop fooling around. No new steps were taken that night, but it had been magical as always, nonetheless.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice called from upstairs. "Mike? Are you down there?" It was Mike's mom. She froze and kept as quiet as possible. A couple of seconds later, Mike's scratchy morning-voice came back.

"Yeah?" he yelled.

"Will and Jonathan are at the door for you, can you come up?" El's eyes went wide. They were probably here with Joyce to come and get her. Did they know she lied? Or were they just here on a hunch? Would she be in trouble?

She came out of the bathroom door and Mike was already there. "What do you want to do?" he asked. "Should I tell them you're not here?"

El thought hard. She had calmed down a lot since the night before, and maybe she could have a conversation with Joyce now. And the more she lied and ran from the problem, the worse it would be in the end. And if she was being honest, she felt bad for having Mike lie to Joyce earlier. "No," she decided. "Tell them I'm here. But make sure your mom doesn't hear."

"Are you sure? You can stay here for as long as you want and-"

"No, Mike," she interrupted confidently. "I'm sure. I need to handle this."

Mike nodded slowly. "Okay." He trudged upstairs, his eyes still thick with sleep. Showers were usually what he relied on to wake himself up in the morning, so he was feeling quite bedraggled. After turning the corner, he saw the apprehensive Byers brothers, hands in pockets, standing in his doorway. "What's up, guys?" he greeted with a yawn.

"Are you, uh, free for a minute, Mike?" Jonathan asked. Karen took the hint and made her way back to the kitchen. Mike glanced over his shoulder to make sure his mom was out of sight and then moved closer to them.

"What's going on?" he asked in a more hushed tone.

"Mike, we're going to cut straight the chase here, alright?" Jonathan said abruptly. "Are you hiding… is El with you right now?"

Mike sighed. "Yeah, she is…"

"I told you," Will said to Jonathan. He glanced back at Mike. "Our mom's been freaking out, you know."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I just-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jonathan cut him off. "We're not mad or anything, we're just saying."

"Believe us, me and Jonathan are just as mad about this whole thing as you are," Will assured his friend. Mike returned his remark with a skeptical look. He immediately felt stupid. This was the girl he loved more than anything that they were talking about. "Okay, maybe not _as _much, but we're still pissed off, okay?"

"Alright," Mike relented. "But what do you guys want?"

"Mom wants us to bring El home," Will replied regretfully. "She wants to talk with her."

Mike turned over his shoulder and looked toward the stairs. "I'm not sure if El wants to talk."

"Talk about what?" The voice coming from behind suddenly made them all jump slightly. It was El's voice. Mike turned his head once again and saw her walking into the room from where she had come up the stairs.

Will offered El a shy wave. "El," he began. "Are you… are you okay?"

She shrugged. "Better than yesterday," she admitted. "What does Joyce want to talk about?"

"Uh, I don't really know," Will answered. "She's probably gonna try to make you understand why moving is a good idea."

"Do _you _guys think it's a good idea?"

Will hesitated. Of course, he wasn't happy about the whole situation. But he had been doing a lot of thinking, and he supposed that he at least saw _some _sense in the decision. He'd be lying if he said Hawkins hadn't been a source of absolute hell for him and his friends. And he couldn't even begin to imagine what if it had been like for his Mom to lose Bob; he had seen how hard it had been for her. he was still upset over the fact that he would have to say good-bye to all his friends soon. But he didn't want to get El worked up, so he was honest with her.

"I don't know yet," he said. "But I think you should come back with us and talk it out with Mom."

El felt conflicted. Would Joyce be mad at her? She had overheard what Will had said, about Joyce being stressed. She felt guilty about running away the way she had, but at that moment, she never felt like she had another choice. "Is Joyce mad at me?" she asked.

"No," Jonathan replied quickly. "I promise El, she's definitely not mad at you. I think she's more mad at herself, if I'm honest."

El brightened up at that. If she knew she was not going to get yelled at or something if she came home, then perhaps it was a good idea. She couldn't stay in Mike's basement forever, after all.

"Okay, whatever we decide, can we do it now? My mom is still in the kitchen, and El is right there, guys," he stage-whispered across the room.

"Let's just go," El decided within the second. "We'll meet you by the basement door." She grabbed Mike's hand and pulled him down the stairs, now in fear of being seen by his mom. Mike followed, and she heard the front door closing to signify Jonathan and Will heading to the back door.

Once they were downstairs, El looked at Mike. "Can you come with me?"

Mike nodded. "I was going to go whether you wanted me or not," he chuckled. El smiled and kissed his lips quickly.

"Thank you."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Jonathan was driving up his driveway with Will in the shotgun seat and Mike and El in the backseat. He had noticed in the mirror that they had been holding hands the whole time. He felt another pang at this, knowing how close they were and that both of them now knew that they were being forced apart by something outside of their control.

"Okay, guys," he sighed loudly when he turned off the car. "Let's get inside."

The group stepped out of the rickety vehicle and headed toward the house. The front door opened before they had even made it halfway, and an emotional Joyce came to greet them.

"El!" she gasped, and nearly ran to her with her arms outstretched. El let Joyce embrace her, mostly because she now understood that she had obviously been very anxious about this whole situation, and El felt a little bad. But it wasn't subtracting from the very mixed feelings she had.

"Sorry for making you worry," she said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

"It's okay sweetie, I understand," she said, still hugging her. "I understand how you feel, I'd be upset too." The hug broke apart, and Joyce noticed her kids and Mike for the first time. She was taken aback a little bit by Mike's presence, but she couldn't really say that she was surprised.

"Let's go inside," she suggested, and headed back into the cool indoors. The rest of them followed. Joyce looked flustered. "Do you want anything, Mike? Anything to eat?"

"No, thank you," he politely declined. He was finding the idea of putting food in his mouth sickening. He just wanted to see if this moving thing was true; he still felt like he was in some kind of denial.

"Okay, then…" she trailed off, looking around the house as if she were lost. "I guess I have some explaining to do," she said.

Mike and El nodded together. Joyce gestured for them to sit down, and they did. Will and Jonathan joined them in the living room. The four teens looked at her expectantly. "I'm really sorry, El, for springing this all on you so abruptly," she began. "But before you bring it up, changing my mind is not a possibility. The house has already been sold, and the decision is final."

Mike felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, but he hid his feelings through a neutral expression. His eyes met El's, and for a brief moment, both of them understood the emotions the other was feeling. "Are you sure?" Mike asked.

Joyce nodded resolutely. "Yes, I'm sure." Mike looked at the floor, hopeless. He tried not to appear too upset, though; he didn't want Joyce being a "mom" to him. He wanted to look strong for El, and not like some weak baby.

"Why is this happening?" El asked.

Joyce exhaled. "A lot of reasons," she began. "The last couple years have been really

hard for all of us. Especially now, I feel like everywhere I look, all I can think of is how badly this town has treated us since then."

Everyone in the room could see how she was right about that; there was no arguing that things had not gone the best for any of them since the winter of 1983. Mike piped up, however. "Not all of it has been bad," he pointed out. "El was freed from the lab and given a home, and the fact that she's in my life is nothing but a good thing."

El felt her heart swell a little bit after hearing that. She smiled inwardly, not wanting to appear too dopey and in love around the rest of them. "Yes, but look at everything else that's happened," she countered. "All of the stuff Will was put through, Barbara and Benny's death in '83, Bob last year, and then… and then Hopper."

The tide seemed to shift after that point. El felt her insides knot up. "All that stuff happened in this town. And whenever I go outside, it's all I can think about." There was silence after that, and Joyce allowed her words to sink in with everyone else. When no one offered a response, she continued.

"I'm worried about my job. I have no doubt in my mind that someone will offer to buy the mall and it will get rebuilt. The place I work at has been losing business for a while, and I don't want to get stuck in a situation where I don't have work. I've already found a lot of offerings in the new town that I'd like to take advantage of."

Again, there was no rebuttal. El and the Byers brothers could definitely understand the gravity of that debacle; they knew with a new addition to the family, things were certainly going to become more expensive, and the family was already struggling financially. Jonathan and Will had already had this discussion, so they didn't feel any need to question their Mom.

"I know that Will is going to be starting high school soon, and El, after a few more months, I think you'll be ready, too," she continued. "And I know that's something that you probably wanted to do with Mike, but I still feel very strongly that with the help of Jonathan and Will, you'll still do great in school."

El put her tongue in her cheek. She hadn't put much thought into school yet, but she knew it was something that was important. And she also knew that it was probably going to be a stressful experience. She was looking forward to going to school with Mike, but she figured that she'd probably have to come to terms with the fact that that wouldn't be possible. There was nothing bad about going to school with Will and Jonathan. They were exponentially closer to her then they were a few months ago, and she felt very comfortable with them. It might not be that bad.

Mike was also lost in thought. He felt selfish about it, but he was devastated that he wouldn't be able to go to school with El and teach her about everything; teaching her new things was one of his favorite things in the whole world; seeing her curious eyes light up at when she understood something new was an amazing thing. _He _wanted to see that. He didn't want _Will _to be the one to help her through this.

"Look, guys," Joyce said, rubbing her hands on her thighs. "I could talk for a while about this, but here's what it comes down to; this family needs a new home. The house is falling apart, I need a new job, and we all need some new scenery. I hope you guys understand."

El was still upset about the whole situation, but at least she could see it now from the second perspective. She could understand why Joyce wanted to move out so badly, and she was finding it hard to stay mad at her. However, she was still finding it hard to put what she was feeling into words.

"Joyce," she started, unsure of what to say, but kept talking anyway. "I think I understand why you want to do this, now." Joyce nodded. "But are you sure there isn't anything else we can do?"

"I don't think so, El," she replied honestly. "I'm sorry."

El felt her throat tighten. She could help herself being mad at Joyce about it; she now understood that the factors in her choice were out of her control. It was clear that what was happening couldn't just be blamed on her, because she was right.

But she couldn't control the tears that were now seeping through her eyes. She felt Mike's arms envelop her and she leaned to the side, allowing herself to let her weight fall entirely into his body. Being hugged by him always made her feel better, no matter what.

"I'm sorry, El," Joyce went forward to comfort her. She rubbed on her shoulder up and down and looked into her eyes. "Are you still mad?"

El shook her head no. "No, I… I'm not mad anymore. I understand why you want to move. I'm just still sad."

Joyce pursed her lips. She could understand that. "I know, sweetie, I'm sorry. But I promise everything will be fine. I'll always be there to help, and so will the boys. And we can come back here once in a while and visit, okay?"

El sniffed. "O-okay," she said. "Compromise," she whispered, too quiet for Joyce to hear. The word that Hopper taught her all that time ago. It was her favorite word.

Mike allowed El to calm down while still holding her, and Joyce waited patiently for her to ease up as well, staying by her side the whole time. Will and Jonathan didn't want El to feel too crowded, so they left the room to her some space.

"Can Mike stay here for a bit?" El asked, looking up from where her head had been tucked into Mike's body. His eyes left the floor for the first time since the conversation began, reflecting a shadow of happiness. He had seemed really distracted the whole conversation; El had been sort of expecting him to speak up at some point during the whole thing, but he had been silent and that made her worried. Plus, she just wanted to be with him longer.

"Of course, Mike can stay. Are you able to?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to stay," he agreed. His expression changed. "And, uh… I'm sorry for lying to you on the phone about El," he added sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry about sweetie," Joyce dismissed his apology hurriedly. "You did the same thing I would have done," she reasoned. "Go spend some time together now, I'll get started on dinner. You're welcome to stay to have some food, Mike." Before waiting for a reply, she was already scurrying to the kitchen.

"Come on," El said, and led Mike to her bedroom by his wrist. She closed the door when they got in and turned to look at him. "Mike, what's wrong?"

Mike breathed deeply. "I'm sorry, El, I just… I'm still not happy with any of this. I guess I kind of understand why Joyce wants to do all this, but I've been looking forward to going to school with you since November."

El's eyes met Mike's. He looked sort of embarrassed. "I don't know why I'm the one who's so upset about this, I just… I don't want to see you go."

El verified that the door was closed, and closed the gap between them. She slid her hand into Mike's and squeezed it tightly. "Mike, I understand," she whispered. "I feel the same way, I know. But… it will be okay. Will and Jonathan will help me. And we can visit one another… we'll be fine, I promise."

"I know, I know, I just… I don't know." He leaned in and hugged her tightly, tangling one of his hands into her hair. "I don't want to lose you again," he said in a hushed tone, his voice nearly breaking.

"You won't lose me," she whispered back, right in his hear.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**Alright, this chapter is done. For the future, this fan fic might be less of a priority from here coming out. I feel like I'm really only writing for two people, and I have a lot of stuff happening in my life. I'll never abandon this story, but new chapters might be a little less frequent from now on. Feel free to leave reviews as always, and take it easy! Thanks for reading, guys :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey guys, welcome back! Thank you so much for the response on the last chapter. It's given me a bit of a boost to know that this story is being read by more people. At the end of the day, I write for my own enjoyment, but it's great to know that other people appreciate this story too :)**

**I got to work on this chapter pretty quickly, I'm pretty sure it's only been about a week since the last chapter. This one is the longest yet (5600+ without the AN) and has a bit of everything in it, so I hope you guys like it!**

**Jbg: Thank you for this review! You're right, this story has gotten a fair amount of views, but something about the reviews just make it feel... more real? I don't know. But I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! i hope you like this one too.**

**HyperSushi: Things have felt really depressing recently with this fic. After the move, I'll have a clean slate to work with. The moving storyline was something that I imagined to be very sad, I mean look a the final minutes of the finale... I cried so hard.**

**Darkstrife77: Thank you for the understanding! hopefully all those people will enjoy this chapter.**

**Luna0603: Always love reading your reviews :) I'm glad that you thought it was a good resolution. Believe it or not, I found it very challenging to tie everything together in a way that was realistic and flowed nicely. I'm glad it paid off. Good on you for picking up that parallel, I really liked writing it. I was wondering if anyone would notice, haha. I do have a lot of ideas for the future of this story... like I've said before, I plan to keep this going until (ideally) the premiere of season 4. In the meantime though, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

Mike was walking home from the Byers; it was quite late, and the sun was setting over Hawkins. His hands were jammed in his pockets so as to protect themselves from the cold, but he had a sweater to protect the rest of his body from the cool night air. Walking home, he felt… lost. Like something from his very soul had drifted off into the air.

He didn't know why he felt like this; he never went into Joyce's house expecting to change her mind; he didn't know what he had wanted, if he was honest. All he knew is that he did _not _want El to move out of Hawkins. He didn't Will to leave, either. His first childhood friend was leaving the town they grew up in, and then he would only be able to see them a few times a year, at best. He hoped that they would be able to see each other more, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

It seemed like every time that happened, he just got his heart crushed. It hadn't even been a year since they were reunited a year after being separated. At least this time she knew she would be alive and safe. But if she wasn't, he would never know.

He shook his head to himself. He couldn't let these kinds of thoughts plague his mind; he'd drive himself insane if he did. As long as he knew El was safe and with people who loved her, then… then he'd be okay. All he needed to know was that she was safe and taken care of. Because he knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if she wasn't. His thoughts started to wander again.

What if something happened to her and he wasn't there to help? Her powers were gone. And it's not like El could fight off a grown man. What if something happened at her new school? Mike knew that he wasn't a fighter. He had endured his fair share of beatings in his early school years. But he'd throw himself in front of a bullet for El. He'd die for her, and he knew he would. The idea of not being there if something happened felt like a knife being twisted deep in his stomach.

He blinked back tears that were now trickling down his cheeks. He'd be able to drive in a few years. If something happened, he'd just fucking take his car and drive there. And if he didn't have his own car, then he would take his parents' car. If they didn't let him use their car, then he would fucking steak it. That's what he would do. Hell, he would take their car even if he _didn't _have a driving lesson.

The only thing he had ever wanted to do since he met here was to protect and love El. It sometimes scared him, how much he was obsessed with her. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't even explain to himself why he felt the way he did, but he knew that come Hell or high water, he would never, ever, _ever_, let a living soul harm her until he was gone or couldn't fight anymore. And he would fight till he couldn't stand for that girl.

When he finally got home, he went straight to his room and cried until he finally fell asleep.

* * *

"_I'm… sorry…"_

"_Billy, get up, please-"_

Max shot awake, her chest heaving. She was sweating all over, and pajamas and sheets were drenched. "Fuck," she whispered to herself. She was in her own bed, for the first time in nearly a week. The previous evening she had begrudgingly dragged herself back to her own home; she and Lucas had a close call in his house where his mom had almost found her. Max had realized that it was getting too hard to hide her from Lucas's parents, so she had gone home.

Oddly enough, nobody had been in the house at her time of arriving. She didn't think much of it, but rather thanked God for it. It had only been around 8:00 when she had walked through the front door, but she had nothing else to do so she had just gone to bed.

Glancing over at her digital clock, she saw the time flashing in bright red numbers back at her. _3:26 am. _She groaned and fell back on the bed, but remembered how sweaty it was and cursed to herself. After quickly changing her clothes and tossing her old ones in the hamper in the corner of her bedroom, she threw a blanket over the mattress and lay down on that. She sighed in content when she no longer felt like she was lying down in a lake.

Max rolled over on her side and closed her eyes, but it seemed like sleep was evading her. She knew why.

That memory of Billy still haunted her. Of course, it had gotten extremely better in the last months. But every so often, there would be a night where she could not get the image out of her head, no matter how hard she tried to think of something else, or just clear her mind. She wished Lucas was with her. Part of the reason why it had not bothered her in the last week was because she had been sleeping with him. Not having sex or anything, just sleeping, cuddled up close. His presence seemed to keep the memory away, and she missed that. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since she left his house, and she already felt like she was losing her goddamn mind.

An idea popped in her mind; she had done it before, but sometimes it didn't work. There was no point in just lying here, though. Silently, she got out of bed and moved toward her door. She opened it slowly so it wouldn't squeak, and closed it just as slow. When she looked down the hall, she could see through the front window, and realized that there was only one car in the driveway; her Mom's. Her brow furrowed. Why wasn't Neil here?

She supposed she'd find out promptly in the morning. Shaking the thought from her mind, she tip-toed from her bedroom door to Billy's. Holding her breath, she turned the knob and stepped inside. The faint scent of beer and cigarettes came to her almost immediately. It was nearly gone; he hadn't been in here in a long time. She used to be revolted every time she stepped in here, but now it seemed like some sort of haven. A place where she could go to feel closer to him, even after death.

The rug on the ground in front of his bed felt soft on her toes as she walked into the center of the bedroom. His bed was still unmade. She pulled the sheets to the side and slid underneath and closed her eyes. The smell was stronger now, which warmed her up inside. The sensation of being in his bed calmed her down. The ache that came from missing him seemed to cease. At that, she finally fell asleep.

In the morning, Max awoke slowly on her own. Her eyes surveyed her surroundings, and for a moment, she didn't know where she was. Then it came back to her; she had slept here tonight. Was it weird that she did that? The fact that she was so upset about him still seemed weird to her. A month before July, if someone had told her Billy was dead, she honestly thought that she wouldn't have cared.

But somehow, after everything that had happened… she did care. She knew that the image of the Mindflayer piercing his body with its tentacles would be forever engrained into her brain, seared into it like a brand. But he had done it while making the ultimate sacrifice.

_Stop thinking about it, Max. _It was too early for this shit. She had just woken up, she wasn't going to spend the rest of the day sulking over everything.

Her growling stomach got her out of the bed. She opened the door and walked toward the kitchen and the first thing she saw her mom; she was sitting at the dining table, holding a cup of coffee in her hands. There was a plate next to her, where Max usually sat; on the plate rest two pancakes and some scrambled eggs. She was incredulous.

"Um… hi, Mom," Max greeted awkwardly.

"Sit down, sweetie," she said and gestured with her head toward the empty seat. Max complied, and wordlessly walked toward the chair and sat down in it. She had been hungry before, but something about this situation was making her nervous, and her appetite had disappeared completely.

"What's going on, Mom?"

"There's just something that I'd like you to know," she answered. "Your step-father and I… we're getting a divorce."

Max blinked. "A… a divorce?"

"Yes." Max fought back her initial reaction, which was to just smile like a fool. But she knew there were other factors here. Who was going to provide for the family? Her Mom barely worked. Where was Neil now? Was he already gone?

"So where is he?" she asked.

"He's at a hotel right now… we're still sorting out the legal issues, but I imagine it will be done soon. I just thought you'd like to know."

Of course, she did. But were there going to be any problems because of all this? "Are we still going to be okay? Are we going to have to like… move, or anything?"

"No, I don't imagine so," she replied. "I've been looking at a different job, a higher paying one. You're older now, so I don't have to be around the house as much. But it would mean you'd be on your own a lot. Are you okay with that?"

She absolutely was. A free house all the time? She could see her house becoming the future hang-out spot of the group. She could throw parties, drink, have fun… it sounded like a great deal to her. "No, that's fine," she said smoothly, hiding her enthusiasm.

"Okay, good," she sighed. "That's all I wanted to say. I have to go and run some errands soon, so I have to get ready. Enjoy your breakfast, sweetie." She got up and pushed her chair in, leaving Max alone at the table with a full plate of breakfast. As she picked up her fork and cute a bite out of her pancake, she smiled to herself.

Things were seeming alright.

* * *

"Mike? Mike, come in. Mike, it's Will. Come in."

Mike shot awake and flung his hand out from under the sheets and snatched his Supercomm from under the bed. "Will, I'm here," he said urgently. "What's the problem? Over."

He heard a light laugh from the other side. "Calm down, man. Nothing is wrong. Over."

Mike relaxed. Usually, nothing good came from being woken up by the walkie. If something was taking place early in the morning in summer, it was not natural. "So why are you waking me up so early? Over."

"It's not early, Mike. It's almost noon. Over."

Mike rolled over and looked at his clock. Sure enough, it was. Ten minutes to, to be exact. "Shit, my bad. Must have gotten home later than I thought last night… I don't know. Over."

"No worries. Sorry for waking you up. Over."

"It's okay. My mom probably would have woken me up soon, anyway. What's up? Over."

"I was just wondering if you'd want to come over for a little bit to my house this afternoon. The rest of the guys are coming, and I was going to call Max after you. I was talking to El and my Mom, and we think that's it's time we tell the others. Over."

"About… about the move?"

A pause. "Yeah… you forget to say over, by the way. Over."

Mike coughed. He had just woken up, and he had already been reminded of the thing he had spent the last portion of last evening crying over. He sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're probably right. You guys are leaving pretty soon, right? Over."

"Yeah, I think so… a little over a month, maybe? Something like that. Over."

"Okay, I'll get ready and be there soon. Is one o'clock alright? Over."

"It's fine. Over and out."

"Over and out."

After a shower and breakfast, Mike was biking over to the Byers house. Hopefully, the afternoon wouldn't be too depressing. But he knew Will was right. It was high time the others knew. If it was up to him, all of them would have already known. As it was, he was upset that Joyce had to wait so long to break the news to El. But Will had told him that he was telling her to wait so they could work out that argument they had been having before she did. He guessed that would have been a smart idea, but it never really got realized.

Oh, well.

After a few more minutes of biking, the Byers house came into view. He recognized the bikes that were already out front; it seemed as though he was the last one. After swinging his leg over the seat, he let the bike clatter to the ground along with the rest of them and knocked on the door. The door opened and Dustin was standing there.

"What's up, Mike?" he greeted.

"Hey, man," he returned, and they bumped fists.

"Everyone else is in the living room," he told him, and led him to where everyone else was sitting. "Will said he has to tell us all something, do you know what it is?" he whispered quietly to Mike.

"Yeah, I do," he deadpanned, feeling too sorry for himself to show any kind of emotion in his voice. Dustin furrowed his brow, looking concerned, but before he could ask, they were already sitting down with everyone else. Without a moment's hesitation, El got out of her chair to hug Mike and give him a quick kiss on the lips that lingered for a little bit. Both of them ignored the oncoming teasing and noises coming from the rest of them.

"Alright, alright, sit down, you two," Will said, biting back a laugh, but at the same time wondering why he felt uncomfortable watching them kiss. Perhaps he had unknowingly developed some sort of brotherly instincts toward her; the idea of some boy messing with his (technically) sister felt weird to him, even if it was his best friend. He knew that if any boy gave her a hard time at their new school, he would protect her.

Mike and El sat back down on the couch, but their hands were still intertwined. Everyone was looking apprehensively at Will, anticipating what he was going to say. He cleared his throat. "So, uh… there's something that me and El need to tell you guys," he began, sounding slightly nervous. A confused look swept across the room.

"Is it something bad?" Lucas asked, looking slightly worried.

"No, I wouldn't say it's _bad_," he replied. "It doesn't have anything to do with… with the Mindflayer or anything."

A collective sigh of relief washed through everyone. "Next time you get us all over here and worked up, can you clear that up from the beginning? I was freaking out here, man," Dustin complained.

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry," Will said. "Look, there's no easy way to say it, so I'm just gonna say it; our family's moving in around a month."

No one dared to say anything. To Mike and El, it was old news, but the other half of the people in the room were shocked. Nobody knew what to say.

"You knew about this, Mike?" Dustin questioned, incredulous.

"I found out yesterday," he mumbled. "Believe me, I haven't known for long."

"Why are you moving?" Lucas asked, still seeming to be confused.

Will sighed. "Look, guys, I could repeat everything my Mom said for hours. Long story short, she needs a new job, we need a new house for more space, this one is falling apart. She hates Hawkins, and to be honest, I don't blame her. Look at everything that's happened." Everyone else in the room looked at each other, sharing silent glances of agreement. He was right about that stuff.

"And it's… it's for sure happening?" Max clarified.

"Yeah, it is," Will said, scratching the back of his neck.

Max was quiet for a second, processing the new information. "So that means El is going with you guys, too, doesn't it?" She looked at El, who nodded slowly. It was obvious that she was squeezing Mike's hand really hard, and he was doing the same.

Max's heart sank. She couldn't believe it. The first friend she had made in this town who was an actual girl was moving away? "I'm assuming you guys are moving far away, otherwise you wouldn't be telling us this."

"It's about a five-hour drive, it's looking like. Maybe it'll be somewhere different. But yeah, whatever my Mom chooses, it will be far."

No one spoke. Two members of the Party were being, in a way, lost. For most friend groups, this probably wouldn't have been a big deal.

But this wasn't a normal friend group.

"I don't know what to say, man," Lucas said softly. "It won't be the same without you guys."

"Mom said we can come and visit every so often… maybe Dustin can help us get some kind of communication tower like the one here so we can talk?"

Dustin replied immediately. "Of course, man. There's no way that you guys are moving away and not talking to us. I can make one." A smile spread through the group. El and Mike exchanged a glance of pure relief and happiness. They would be able to talk to one another. Both of them had been going under the assumption that they wouldn't be able to, because long-distance phone calls were so costly. But they wouldn't have to pay for this.

"Maybe I can whip up something just for Mike, 'cause God knows he'll be wanting to talk to El every night." The rest of the group laughed, El and Mike included.

"Hey, dude, I don't want you to break your back for me or anything," Mike commented. "But, Dustin, if you did that, I… I would never be able to thank you enough."

He nodded. "I'll see what I can do, Mike. It won't be like the one at Weathertop. That one can communicate all around the Earth. You guys are only a couple hours away, so it'll be easier. I'll figure something out."

Mike felt like he was about to cry. This whole time, he had been preparing to never talk to her, never see her, never touch her, for _months _at a time. Now, he'd be able to talk to her. Maybe not _every _night, but he'd be able to make sure she was okay. He'd be able to tell her about his day, and he could listen to her about her day. They'd be able to help each other. Any doubt he had about maintaining a long-distance relationship had fizzled away in a couple of moments.

Not knowing what else to do, he got up out of his seat. He stuck out his hand to Dustin. Their eyes met and Dustin grabbed his hand and got up. Mike wrapped his left arm around his friend's shoulders and he did the same. "Seriously, dude," he said. "You have no idea what this means to me."

"No, I do," he replied, and hugged his brother a little bit harder. A few seconds later, El joined them and put her hands around Mike and Dustin.

It didn't take long for the others to join them.

* * *

The Party spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and having fun. Joyce was out of the house at dinnertime, so they all put their money together to get a pizza delivered to the house. It wasn't until around eight o'clock in the evening that Dustin eventually left, saying that "his Mom was going to kill him if he wasn't home at nine," so he left at eight-thirty to give himself enough time to walk.

They had been watching a horror movie that they had dug out of the storage room when Dustin had left, but no one was really enjoying it, so soon after Dustin departed Lucas and Max went off together to head back to their houses.

Max had told the party about the news regarding her parents, and how her horrid stepdad was going to be out of her life forever. All of them were happy for her, especially Lucas, who was ecstatic that he wouldn't have to fear being caught with Max by Neil. She had also said that her house would probably be more open and available to them. They had discussed the possibilities of different things they could do as a group without any adults around; hosting parties and just generally stupid stuff like messing around with, as Dustin put it, "fireworks and shit" in the backyard.

Despite how poorly the night at Steve's had gone toward the end, everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the firework show, and had enjoyed the drinking even more. However, Steve had been adamant that whatever they did, they would have to be careful. And of course, they had told him they would be. They were all smart kids, after all.

Mike was mulling over what had been discussed over the course of the day when the voice of his girlfriend came through his ears. "Mike?"

He swiveled his head to look in the direction of the other side of the couch, and El was looking at him, a skeptical look in her eye. "Yeah?"

"You seem… distracted. Is everything okay?" she asked him.

Mike brought himself closer to her put his hand on her thigh, and rubbed it in assurance. "Yeah, it's just… a lot of stuff has happened in the last few days. It seems like everybody has some sort of change going on."

"I'm happy that Max can finally live without her dad," El remarked, leaning sideways toward Mike and snuggling into his body on the couch. "We can hang out at her house now, too."

"Yeah, me too," he agreed. They both exhaled together at the same time by pure coincidence, but neither of them bothered to comment on it because the tranquility in the room was just too blissful to break. The TV was still on, but the rest of the house was completely dark. The light coming from the screen was casting eerie shadows around the room that gave a sort of spooky feel, but it just made the feeling of being close to another ten times better. From the side window, the moonlight was shining through, and Mike could have sworn it was reflecting right off El's eyes, which made them seem even more beautiful than usual.

Will had left the common area to brush his teeth, and El and Mike were alone on the couch, enjoying one another's company. Mike slowly became aware of the fact that her hand was still resting on El's thigh, and it just so happened that she was wearing a skirt. It wasn't short, by any means, but they had been sitting on the couch for a while and it had gotten slightly hiked up. He let his fingertips wander down the fabric toward her knee where the skirt ended. His index finger toyed with the hem for a brief second before he eased it under and started massaging her inner thigh just above the knee joint.

El inhaled sharply at the feeling of his hand on her bare skin, but didn't pull away in the slightest. She looked over at him, and when she saw Mike's mischievous smirk, she couldn't help but giggle. In a second, she was getting pushed back so that she was lying across the length of the couch, and then Mike was on top of her, kissing her. It started out innocent and calm enough, but as Mike's hand continued drawing circles against her skin, both of them were becoming more urgent in their movements.

Mike pulled away and wrapped his lips around the skin on her neck and gave a hard suck followed by a gentle nibble, which was met by a context hum from El. He traced a line from the side of her neck to the front, and El found herself craning her neck upward to give him space to kiss and suck her throat.

"Mike, that feels so good," she moaned lightly, not even able to control whether or not she was speaking or not. Mike never responded, but rather quickly let his hand touch her panties right over the junction in her legs and El gasped. His middle and index finger found purchase around the edge of it and-

"Jesus Christ!"

Mike jumped off El as if she were on fire and flung himself to the other side of the couch. He turned toward the direction of the sound and saw that Will was standing there, in his pajamas, looking quite shaken.

"Fuck's sake, Will!" Mike said loudly, blushing madly. "What are you doing here?!"

"I live here, dummy," he replied shortly. El couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Mike looked at her and noticed she was also getting pretty red in the cheeks.

"Uh, yeah, that's right," Mike muttered. "It's getting late, I should probably start heading back to my house."

El's face fell. She was feeling really wound up from what they had been doing before _Will _had interrupted them, and now that she knew she wasn't going to get any sort of payoff, she couldn't help but feel upset. Mike must have picked up on it, because he moved closer to her and gave her a hug.

"It's fine, I'll hang out with you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," she replied, softly, letting her hand roam in his hair while they embraced. Mike let go and kissed her lips, letting them stay there for a few seconds before pulling away slowly.

"Bye," he waved at her as he walked out the front door.

"Call me on the Supercom when you get back so I know you're safe," she said.

"Okay, I will." He closed the door, leaving Will and El alone in the living room. Their eyes met. El couldn't help but smile stupidly at her almost-adoptive brother.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, laughing.

Will snickered and shook his head. "You guys are ridiculous. You know that, right?" He made sure not to sound upset or condescending in his words, because, in all honesty, he wasn't. Ever since the argument that had taken place between him and Mike after their D n' D game, and the apology he had issued him soon after the Fourth, Will had gained a new perspective on his and El's relationship. He understood how much they loved and valued one another, and he had to respect that. Sure, he knew that he couldn't even comprehend being so close to a girl, but that didn't Mike couldn't.

On top of that, he recognized that the Party wouldn't be kids forever. It was important for him to move on with his life, because that was how life worked. There wasn't any way that he could cling onto the things they did when they were twelve when most of them would be turning fifteen within the next year. Just as long as they played D n' D at least _once _in a while, it would be fine by him.

But nothing could be compared to the newly-found connection he had gained in the last few weeks with her. Ever since he started regarding her as a sort of sibling, he felt like now they were somehow more connected. And it was weird because it hadn't even been a month, but they had already had so many conversations about things and chances to bond, it had kind of been inevitable.

But he would be damned if he didn't get to tease her about Mike.

"What do you mean?" she asked, still grinning.

Will shrugged. "Nothing… I just never thought I'd see something like that."

"We were just kissing," El replied, the red returning to her face.

"Don't think I didn't see where his hand was, El," Will said, his voice mixed with amusement and hint of mild disgust (but, again, he understood that obviously, her and Mike's relationship was far deeper than anything that he could picture himself having with anyone, so he wasn't going to judge).

El's eyes widened. "Oh, my God…" she looked away from Will, wishing that she could disappear into the floor.

"Hey, look," Will cut her off, going to the couch to sit beside her. "I don't care what you guys do, I just don't want either of you to be weirded out."

El nodded. "No, it was fine. Everything Mike does is fine."

"Okay, good," Will responded. "But still… be careful. We're only fourteen, you know."

"Yes, I know," she agreed. "I want to wait longer before we have sex."

Will coughed abruptly, masking the sudden inhalation of surprise that he had just made. "W-what?"

"Sex," she repeated. "I want to wait until both of us are fifteen."

"So you… you've talked about it?" Will asked to clarify.

"No, we haven't," she admitted. "But if it were to come up, that's what I would tell him.

That's what I want."

Will shifted his body so that his shoulders were square with El's. "I don't really know how else to ask this, but, um… do you, like… do you know, uh-"

El sighed in exasperation. "Yes, Will, I know what sex is," she huffed. She looked at the

floor, the look in her eyes suddenly changing.

_Shit. _"What's wrong?" Will asked, already willing to bet on the answer.

"I… I don't like it when people treat me differently," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone always thinks I don't know things or I'm… I'm stupid or something."

"El, I don't think that-"

"No, I don't think you do," she interrupted him. "But everyone still treats me different then

everyone else. Would you have asked Lucas or Dustin if _they _knew what sex was?"

Will hesitated. "No, I wouldn't," he replied simply.

"I might not talk as well as everyone else, but I still understand more than people think I do," she continued. "I know when people are babying me."

Will didn't reply, not quite knowing what to say, because he knew she was right. "The only people who always treated me normally were Mike and… and Hopper." Her voice nearly got caught in her throat at the mention of his name, but she kept it together.

"I learned math and science and how to read and write in the lab," she went on. "I'm not dumb. I just don't always know how to talk to other people, or what to say. Or sometimes I just don't understand things."

Will immediately felt terrible, thinking about all the times when he or Lucas or Dustin or Max treated El like a child because they felt like she didn't know what she was doing or something. But it was becoming abundantly clear that she wasn't, and she had probably picked up on all the times they had treated her differently.

"El, I… I'm sorry. We just didn't know."

El shook her head slowly. "No, I know you didn't mean it… you guys were just trying to be nice. But it's still annoying."

"I understand," Will said, looking forward out the window. "More than I'd like to, I think."

Now it was El's turn to be confused. "Why?"

Will leaned back in his seat, still looking out of the window, through which the moon was still shining its light. "After the Upside-Down… when I got back and went back to school, people treated me differently, too."

"They did?"

"Yeah, definitely," he said. "Everyone I knew was always babying me. It was like… it was like they thought that I was going to break at any time. Like I was some kind of little kid. Even Jonathan did it. Mom sometimes, too. The guys did a lot, but Mike didn't as much."

El smiled. "Mike's good like that," she said dreamily.

Will nodded slowly, his face serious. He knew what good of a friend Mike was. He knew that he was like a brother to him.

"Yup." The two of them sat in silence a while longer, enjoying the quiet serenity of the night. It was almost surreal, how peaceful everything was.

"I think I'm going to head to bed now," Will announced, getting off the couch. He started to walk toward the bedroom hall when El called to him.

"Wait," she said. He turned around and El got off the couch and started to walk toward him. She stopped about three feet in front of him. Will was caught off guard by what she did next.

She stepped forward once and hugged him.

It was simple and friendly, and obviously not romantic. It was like the kind of hug that he would get from his Mom or Jonathan. Like a hug from family.

Will hugged her back.

**Alright, we're all done here. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, I feel like there might have been a lot of jumping around but i wanted to cover a lot in this one before the actual moves come up. I think that I'm going to do a one month time jump or so to bridge the gap between now and beginning of September. Although it'll be a pain in the ass to go through, High school technically starts before the move. (3 months after July 4th is October 4th. So our gang was a month deep in HS at the end of season 3). I would have liked to do the high school stuff after the move, but I'm trying to stick to the timeline in the show as well as I can. So stay tuned for that! Take care, guys!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys! Welcome back the fic. I hope you've all been doing well. I know this one kind of took a while, but I was suffering from some writer's block. Oddly, I'm finding it difficult to bridge the gap between the current arc and the whole "start of school" arc. This chapter takes place the day before, so next chapter is gonna be the first day for the Party (excluding El). I'm pretty excited about it, but sort of intimidated, haha. There's a lot of ideas I have, and I want to depict a proper highschool experience as well as I can. I hope you guys stick around for it! Enjoy the chapter, guys :)**

**Guest: ST3 was very tearful season, wasn't it? I'm glad you're enjoying the fic!**

**CalvinHobbesGatsby: Yeah, they should be. But life has other plans sometimes :/**

**Jbg: The reviews definitely make me happy, I like it when I feel like I'm writing for an audience. Most people do, probably. You'll see what I do with Will's situation regarding school. I'm still working out some things in my mind, but I have faith that the this section of the story will be good. Before long, the Byers's and El will be moving, and I'll have to cover that, which I'm REALLY looking forward to. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**HyperSushi: I think so, too. Either way, I really enjoy writing this story, so I'll continue it no matter what, it's just a matter of how often I update, I suppose. Enjoy the chapter :)**

**Luna0603: Thank you! Yes, I wanted to give some closure to that whole storyline which I really had left loose ever since, like, chapter 16 or something. I'm glad you enjoyed Will and El's moment. I really want to develop their sibling-type relationship with this story, because I feel like they have a lot in common. I hope season 4 does that well. I hope you like this chapter, too :D **

Mike lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. There were a lot of things drifting around in his mind, and no single thought stayed long enough for him to pinpoint it. But above the rush of anxiety and feelings, one thing kept coming back to him.

The start of school. It was in less than a week at this point, and the closer it go to the first day the more he worried. Were the rest of the guys worried? Was Max worried? _Pfft. _Max definitely wasn't nervous. Mike vividly recalled the way she had strutted into the classroom on her first day, last year. If that had been him, he would have been shitting himself, standing up in front of a bunch of kids he didn't know as he was being introduced.

At least he would have his friends. It's not like he was going to be completely alone. He didn't actually know if Will was going to start high school with them; it seemed kind of pointless to start in Hawkins High, and then just leave to another school less than a month later. But he knew for sure that Dustin and Lucas and Max would be there.

The concept still shocked him. Their party was going to go from six members to four. _Four. _It would probably feel so weird to not see Will every day in school. They had been best friends since kindergarten, literally. He glanced over at the digital clock on his bedside table. It read _11:22. _

It wasn't that late.

He fumbled around with his hand under his bed until it found purchase on the box-like device. After pulling out the antenna, he whispered into it quietly. "Will? Come in, Will, it's Mike."

There was silence for a couple of seconds, but then the familiar voice of his friend crackled through the speaker. "Hi, Mike. What's up?"

He rolled over on the mattress so that he was lying flat on his back. Holding the button down, he replied. "I've just… been doing some thinking."

"What about?" Will asked.

"Start of high school being in less than a week," he responded. "I'm really nervous."

The sound of Will exhaling deeply came through the speaker. "Yeah, me too," he agreed.

"Are you even starting high school in September? You're leaving like, what, early October or something, right?"

"Yeah. I think my Mom wants me to go. She doesn't want me to fall behind or anything. She's already got homeschooling El to figure out. I don't want her to be more stressed than she needs to be."

"When does she want El to start school?" Mike asked, feeling very curious about El's future with her new living arrangements.

"Mom's hoping maybe by the start of the second semester of this year. So maybe late January? I'm not sure when the first semester ends. I'll have to ask Jonathan."

Mike smiled dreamily. "I saw what she was doing with Hopper for the last, like, year and a half. She's really good at math and science and stuff. All she really has trouble with is language and stuff, but she's working on it."

"She's good at math? How?"

Mike's blood pressure rose a little a bit at the thought of El being in the lab, with that fucking bastard, Brenner. "When she was in the lab, they taught her a lot about math and stuff. And science is just math with context, so she picked up pretty quick with Hopper. She has a _bunch _of textbooks and stuff. I was actually pretty impressed with him."

"With Hopper?"

"Yeah," he said, and felt a pang of sadness at the mention of his name. Mike had never really stopped thinking about Hopper. He had seen first-hand how much of an effect it had on El, and how broken she had become after his death. On top of that, ever since his death, he had realized how much of an ass he had been to Hop, and he never got a chance to apologize to him.

"Are you worried about the start of school?" Mike asked, wondering if he was the only one who was so stressed about the whole thing.

"Absolutely," Will replied, which he followed with a nervous chuckle. "I'm more worried about El, to be honest. But I guess we can think about that bridge we can come to it, though."

"Yeah, that's true," Mike agreed. "At least you won't have to deal with Troy in your new school," he pointed out.

"Meh," he dismissed the comment. "I'm sure there'll be dickheads at the other school, too."

"I guess." There was quietness between them for a few seconds. "I'm gonna miss you a lot, Will," he said quietly.

"Me, too, Mike." He could hear the sadness in his voice. "At least we have Dustin's radio tower and stuff. We'll be able to talk, still," he pointed out. "And you can talk to El all you want," he added teasingly.

"Shut up," Mike ordered, the corners of his mouth pulling up in a small smile while he blushed.

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled.

"Hey, it's getting late, man. I should get some sleep now," Will said, and Mike could hear him yawn through the Supercom.

"Yeah, me too. Good night, dude."

"Good night."

* * *

The rest of the week went by too quickly for the Party. They were able to wiggle in some time to hang out over the week, but the stress of high school was sort of distracting all of them. Last time they had hung out they had talked about it, and, not to their surprise, Max was the only one who was _not _worried about the start of school.

"You guys will be fine," she had assured them. "You aren't scrawny seventh-graders anymore. Just don't take any shit from anyone and stand up for yourselves."

"Easy for you to say," Lucas had said. "You didn't spend every second of middle school being a target of every single asshole within a one-hundred-meter radius."

Long story short, everybody seemed to be on edge. And of course, the situation with the Byers family moving was not helping anyone in the slightest. Joyce and Will had come to the decision that he would be attending school for the first month or so of school; mainly because of Will. He didn't want to miss any new material, and he knew that if he was in school he would be able to spend more time with his friends. They were only in their freshman year, so he knew that he would have a lot of the same classes.

Earlier in the week, the boys have even knocked on Mr. Clarke's door just to say hello and say a final thank you before the start of the new chapter of their life. Mr. Clarke had been the greatest teacher of their elementary school experience and played a pivotal role in their love for science and math and such subjects.

The fact that Nancy and Jonathan were going to be there for their senior year offered some consolation; the Party knew if they ever needed help getting to a class or understanding something that they could ask them. That had always been an advantage of being a younger sibling; there was always going to be someone who had already done what you were doing. "Paving the way," is what Mike's mom often called it. The only solid advice Mike had gotten from Nancy was to stay on top of homework, steer clear from wrong crowds, and don't do anything stupid.

"But what if Troy or some other asshole tries to start something?" Mike had questioned. "Lord knows that happened a lot in middle school."

"Exactly," Nancy had replied. "_Middle school. _This is the time to get a clean slate, Mike. You're a smart kid. Just use your brain, okay? You'll be fine, I promise."

_Gee, thanks for the advice, _he had thought. He knew that Nancy meant well, but she had never really had any real experience with being bullied the way he and his friends had, other than that time two years ago with the whole Steve and Jonathan fiasco and the movie theatre thing. But that was one isolated incident, and it was quickly solved.

Long story short, there was a lot on his mind.

It was the day before the start of school, and Mike was finding himself bored and stressed and in need of something to take his mind off tomorrow. So he did what came naturally to him.

He called the Byers house and asked to talk to El.

He put their number, which had been memorized since long ago, and listened to the agonizing ringing from the other side. A click came through and he heard the voice of Jonathan. "Hello?"

"Hi, Jonathan, it's Mike. Is El around?"

"Yeah, she is. One second," he replied. Mike heard the muffled sounds of shouting and talking over the line, and then, after a period of time that somehow felt like forever, El's voice came through the speaker of the phone.

"Mike?" _God. _He knew he would never get tired of hearing that voice. Even through the phone, it was like the most beautiful song to him in the whole world when she spoke.

"Hi, El," he said, almost breathlessly. "Um, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today? All the guys are busy with stuff."

That actually wasn't true. But he had been hanging out with the whole Party all week, and it was the last day before school. And right now, all he wanted was to be with El for the next few hours and hopefully get some stress out of his system. Even though he knew she probably didn't understand most of his problems, somehow, telling her about them always helped, more than it did with anyone. He guessed it was just because of their connection, but just hearing her say "it's going to be okay" always made him feel more sure of himself.

"Yeah, sure," El replied, and Mike could practically hear the smile in her voice. "Let me ask Joyce." The line was quiet for a second, and then she came back. "Yeah, you can come. When will you be here?"

"Give me ten minutes, I'll get my bike."

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, Mike was rolling up the gravel driveway of the Byers home on his bike, his heart thudding in his chest with excitement, relief, and anticipation. It had felt like years since he had seen her, even though it had really only been two days.

He knocked on the door rapidly, and before he could even bring his hand back to his side, the door opened and El threw herself out of the house and grabbed Mike and hugged him. "Ten minutes, on the dot," she laughed.

"Friends don't lie," he replied with a wide grin, reciting the long-standing Party rule. El broke away from the hug and looked into Mike's eyes, and laced her fingers together around his neck and pulled him down to plant a soft and lingering kiss on his lips. Mike tilted his head in response, letting their mouths mesh together, already getting lost in the feeling.

"We should make 'no PDA' a Party rule, too," a teasing voice called from inside the house. "Close the damn door, you're letting all the cool air out." Will stepped into view.

Mike tried not to let his cheeks flush, but he could tell from the look on his friend's face that they were. "Hey, Will," he greeted and kicked off his shoes, stepping into the house and closing the door behind him.

"What's up, Mike?" Will returned, and stepped closer to him to bump his fist against Mike's.

"Stressing about school, trying to get it off of my mind," he admitted.

"Me, too," Will agreed. He looked between the two of them and shook his head with an exasperated but amused expression on his face. "I won't get in the way here… don't be too loud in El's room, okay?"

Mike coughed. "Jesus, Will, calm down," he stuttered. "We're not… doing _that _yet…"

"Uh-huh," Will laughed. "Mom needs my help in the backyard with some stuff. Just call if you need anything."

"Okay," El said quickly, clearly in a hurry to get out of the living room and behind a closed door. As he was being pulled down the hall, Mike made a mental note that he didn't think he would ever fully adjust to dating his best friend's now-sister. It was just too… odd. But Will seemed to be a lot more understanding of their relationship now, and Mike knew that he had been a lot fairer to the rest of his friends recently. As long as there wasn't any tension between them, he decided that he could probably tolerate a little bit of awkwardness when El was around.

The door to El's bedroom closed behind them and then El was pushing him against the door, her hands on his chest, kissing him furiously. Mike grinned through the kiss and gently pushed her away. "Jeez, I've barely talked to you," he laughed.

El tilted her head playfully and gave him a questioning look. "Well, do you want to talk, or do you want to kiss me?"

Mike didn't answer the question with a verbal response, and instead pushed her back so that her calves connected with the side of the bed, and then they fell over on one another, laughing. "You're eager," she smirked.

"So are you," he teased and then leaned back down to meet her lips. He pressed her body in between his and the mattress and both of them exhaled deeply, getting lost in the familiarity of being so close to one another. Both of them loved every moment that they spent together, but it was times like these that made them feel especially close, and connected on a much deeper level.

El wove a hand into her boyfriend's hair and caressed it slowly and passionately; Mike's untamed and fluffy hair was one of her favorite things about him, so she usually paid extra attention to it during their heated makeout sessions.

She felt Mike's tongue stroke across her lip, and she was about to part them to grant him access, but then stopped and gently moved her head to the side. Mike leaned back. "What's wrong?"

A daring glint flashed across her eyes and Mike furrowed his brow. "Are Joyce and Will still outside?" she asked.

"Uh…" Mike peered out the bedroom window and into the yard, where he saw the pair cutting some particularly overgrown branches off the large tree in the center of the lawn. "Yeah, they are. Why, what are you thinking?"

Without hesitating, she reached down and grasped the bottom of her shirt with crossed arms, and pulled it over her head, showing off her beautiful bare stomach and shoulders, the only thing still concealed being her breasts.

"Oh," Mike uttered, barely able to get words out of his mouth. He snapped out of his trance and followed along with her, quickly discarding his shirt as well before settling back down on top of her, now able to feel the warmth of her chest and stomach touching his own skin. Their mouths met again, this time with little preamble before exchanging open-mouthed kisses with a lot of tongue involved.

After rubbing around on the sides of her stomach, Mike allowed his fingers to trail upward until they found their mark on either of El's tits, and he groaned and how good they felt in his hands. He parted from the kiss and turned his attention toward her neck, sucking it hard and stroking it with his tongue, all while making sure not to stay on one spot for too long so as to not give her any unwanted gifts.

El's mind flashed back to the night they had spent together when Mike had left hickies all over her chest, and she found herself aching to be marked again, wanting to feel his mouth wrapped around her skin, because it had felt _so _good last time.

"Mike… give me a… a hickey. Please" she whispered, eyes closed. "Somewhere that Joyce won't see," she added.

Mike didn't miss a beat, moving his mouth lower, down her neck and toward the spot where her collarbone met her shoulder. He looped a finger around her bra strap and was about to pull it but he hesitated. "Can I…?"

"Yes, please," she asked, almost a beg. Her face turned serious for a fraction of a second. "I told you that you don't have to be asking all the time. I'll tell you if something is wrong."

He didn't reply, he was already yanking the straps to the side, and El lifted her arms upward to allow him to pull it over her head. Once again he lowered his face until it was buried in the crook of her neck, and trailed kiss downward until he came to the spot on her lower collarbone again. It seemed as though each kiss he planted on her was calculated, because each time his lips made contact it sent chills up and down her spine in the most exquisite way. He palmed both of her tits in his hands and sucked on her skin hard and El couldn't help but cry out.

"Oh, shit," she moaned. It had been too long since she had felt that. "Mike, keep going." He hummed in response, never letting go. He flicked a thumb over her left nipple and her back arched as if he had pressed a button or something.

When he was satisfied with his work on her collarbone, he pulled away and saw that the skin was already turning a dark shade. As soon as the connection was broken, El was about to open her mouth to complain, but then she felt his warm mouth around her nipple and she grunted in surprise, but definitely didn't make a move to stop him.

He alternated between each of her breasts, sometimes trailing off and leaving his marks around the nipple as opposed to right on it, all while El keened below him. After a few moments of that, he felt her move below him and she pushed on one his shoulders, and they both rolled over so that she was the one on top now.

El was straddling his hips, and leaned down and whispered in his ear. "Do you want one?"

_Was that even a question? _"God, yes, El," he replied, his voice low and gruff. The corners of her mouth pulled upward into a smirk and leaned down and she nipped his earlobe gently and he closed his eyes, running his hands up and down her back. Of course, he enjoyed paying extra attention to El and giving her as much pleasure as he could, but during the times where he could just lie still and feel her like this made him wild.

El moved lower and drew a line with her tongue down the side of his neck until she got to a spot similar to where Mike had gone, and set to work, alternating between kisses and teeth and sucking. She liked to imagine that she had gotten pretty good at this sort of thing; her time alone in her room at the cabin, despite what Hopper had thought, was pretty innocent. But ever since around a month ago, they had been slowly progressing this side of things in their relationship, and she loved it.

As she continued to nurse the side of Mike's neck, she found herself automatically moving her hand lower down, dragging her fingertips along his chest, then down his stomach and toward the waistband of his pants. It was sort of instinctual, but she knew very well what she was going for.

Before Mike could even process what she was doing, she had already slid her hand under his pants and was now grasping him through his underwear. He exhaled sharply, kind of shocked at how forthcoming and confident El was being. "El, are you-"

He was cut off when she released his neck with a popping sound and put her mouth back on his, placing her other hand on his bare chest. He took that as a sign that she was okay with what was happening. Not long after, one of his hands was back on her breast, and the other was on her side, slowly moving down her side. He was about to wrap around and grab her behind when the unmistakable sound of the back door opening came from outside the room.

"Shit," El muttered and pulled away from Mike. She reached across her bed and threw on the shirt she was wearing and kicked her bra under the sheets, while Mike did the same.

As soon as he pulled his last arm through the sleeve, there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Hello? You guys in there?" It was Joyce.

"Yes, come in," El said, smoothing her hair down as she did so. The door slowly opened and Joyce poked her head through the doorway.

"Hi, Mike. Everything good, guys?" she asked.

"Hi, Joyce," Mike greeted politely.

"We're good," El answered the question.

Joyce nodded. "Okay, well I'll be in the kitchen if you guys need anything," she stated and left, closing the door behind them gently, to Mike and El's surprise. They looked at one another, dumbfounded.

"Did she… close the door?" Mike asked, a quizzical expression across his face.

"Uh, yeah," El replied quietly, equally as confused. "I didn't know she would be so…" she couldn't think of a word.

"Lenient?" Mike suggested.

"Yes," El nodded, remembering reading that word at one point in one of her books. Mike got up from the bed and opened the door quietly and peered down the hall. Sure enough, he could hear Joyce in the kitchen, clanging around dishes and cutlery. It appeared that she was going to leave them to their own devices for the afternoon. He closed the door again and turned around.

"I think moms are usually like that," Mike thought aloud. "Usually it's the father-daughter relationships that are really, um… protective." He felt nervous even saying the word 'Dad' in front of El, but there was really no other way to his thought out without using the word.

But she seemed to be doing a lot better; of course, there were sometimes dark days or nights where Mike found himself comforting her and being the shoulder for her to cry on. But in contrast to how things had been at the beginning of the summer, everything was a lot better now.

"Oh," El answered, a somber look across her face.

"I mean, moms are definitely just as protective and stuff, but it's just that… fathers are kind of infamous for not wanting any boys around their daughters."

"Why?"

Mike shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's just the way they are, I guess. Moms and sons are kind of like that, too, I think."

El nodded in understanding. Mike couldn't ignore the look on her face. "El, are you okay?"

She nodded but didn't meet his eyes. "Yes," she said softly. "I just… I still think about him sometimes."

He walked back to the bed and sat down beside her. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, taking her hand in his. In response, she leaned to the side and rested her cheek on his shoulder.

"I don't know," she said, almost a whisper. "There's nothing I can do to change it. I just really… miss him."

"I know," Mike acknowledged, pulling her closer to him. "We all miss him. He meant a lot to a lot of people." She sniffed and rub some stray tears out of her eyes.

"Just think about it this way," he said, looking into her deep, brown eyes. "He might have died, but he died the greatest way possible. He died a hero. He saved you, he saved me, he saved everyone."

This was certainly true; her dad _had _died a hero. A smile came across her face. "Yeah, he did," she agreed.

"Exactly," Mike said, grinning equally as much.

"That makes me feel a lot better," she told him.

Mike kissed her. "That's what I'm here for."

As if on queue, Will opened the door, except without knocking. Mike and El jumped, startled by the sudden noise. They gave him an impatient, "why-didn't-you-knock" look.

"Could you knock next time?" Mike asked. "Unless you want to see something that you're gonna call."

"Sorry," Will said. "Are you guys busy?"

They looked at one another. "No."

"You guys wanna play Monopoly or something?"

* * *

The three of them spent the whole afternoon playing an assortment of board games, and later when Jonathan came home from being out with friends, he joined the trio. Joyce cooked up some dinner, which Mike joined them for, and later in the evening, he had made his way home.

All in all, it had been a great day. It had definitely taken his mind off things in terms of the start of school, but as he was biking home, he felt the anxiety start to settle back in. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, becoming frustrated with himself for not being able to curb his stress. He forced himself to think about something else.

Of course, his thoughts drifted back to where he had been not even five hours ago, alone in El's bedroom. He smiled dreamily. His heart skipped a beat when he remembered about the little "gift" she had given him. As he was riding, he pulled the shoulder of his shirt to the side, and saw a very clear discoloration just below his collarbone, almost on his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that all he would have to do is wear a shirt to cover it.

Mike cursed under his breath when he felt himself getting hard, just by thinking about the encounter. Thankfully, as a hormonal teenager, he had his ways to hide them from others, but it was still uncomfortable and annoying. But it seemed especially prominent today, most likely because of the fact that, for the first time in a bit, El had touched it.

Sure, it was through his boxers, but nonetheless, he had felt like he was going to explode at that moment with desire. He often found that during his "quality time" with El, he had to fight the urge to do something terribly sexual, but he always resisted. He wasn't yet fully aware of how much she knew about sex and stuff, and he didn't want to do anything stupid to make her feel uncomfortable or weird.

And it wasn't like he felt completely comfortable talking about it with El. He had no doubt in his mind that she _knew _what it was, but talking about it? That was just… a whole different thing. It would probably be awkward and weird, even stressful. That was why he often let her take the lead with things, because he knew that there was nothing she could do or ask for that he would object to.

Even though he never wanted to pressure her into anything, he'd be lying if he said that he didn't want a _little _bit more from her. He felt bad for feeling that way, but he definitely wouldn't mind getting a… a handjob or something.

His face contorted. _Fuck, what's wrong with me? _He felt disgusted by the fact that he was even thinking about El doing that stuff, but he was, and even though he felt bad about it, he still wanted it, really badly.

When his house came into view, he shook the hormones that were clearly getting to his head loose and went inside.

* * *

El exhaled heavily and slowly, staring at the ceiling, finally coming down from the orgasmic high she had just reached.

Her mind had been plagued by the time she had had with Mike early that day, and she had never had any release, so as soon as the rest of the house had gone to bed, she was finally able to unwind. Thank God.

It had been a while since she had finished the last magazine that Max had lent her, and yet… after today, she found herself still slightly concerned. She was well aware of the fact that Mike had done a lot for her since their relationship became more sexual, but she hadn't really done anything to reciprocate. Even though she was technically aware of all the things that she could do, and how to do them in theory, she didn't know how to do it in _practice_.

And she didn't know where to go for advice. But then it came to her.

Max. She had probably done a whole bunch of stuff with Lucas. She could ask her, easily. It had only been yesterday when they hung out last. She kicked herself for not bringing it up with her at the time, though, because she knew she had class tomorrow. That meant it wouldn't be until later in the afternoon they could hang out.

At least she could occupy herself with work that Joyce would most likely be giving her. Feeling resolved with her decision, she closed her eyes and nodded off.

**That's all for this chapter... let me know what you guys think! Next chapter will probably be around nine or ten days from now, maybe earlier. March break is next week, so I might have some extra time. Take it easy :)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Welcome back, guys! The first day of high school is here! The chapter is over 5600 words, there was a lot of stuff that I wanted to do in this one, and I think I got it all done. Needless to say, there is still lots to cover in this story. The move is fast approaching, and with that, a whole lot of other stuff. I hope you enjoy this one :)**

**HyperSushi: Thanks! I hope you like this one, too!**

**Luna0603: Thanks! i'm glad you were excited for this one, I hope it lives up to your expectations. There will be problems though, but I'm sure they'll be able to get through them :) I enjoyed writing the Mileven scene, Mike is definitely the type of person to put El's needs ahead of his. Hopefully there will be some development in that area soon, haha. The Max and El talk will come soon, too. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Wow: lmao**

**jbg: Thanks! I think that is what Joyce would have wanted for them in terms of school. I'm glad you enjoy seeing El's and Mike's relationship developing. There is definitely going to be more that will happen with them, but in time. And thank you, I will try to find. I have no class for the next three weeks because of corona, so I will have some extra time, haha. But I have other personal projects of mine that I'm putting some time into. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

"El? El, are you there?"

El's eyes cracked open groggily. She looked to her left, and then right and saw the numbers eleven-thirty-two on her digital clock staring back at her. Groaning, she looked around, trying to identify the source of the sound.

"El, are you asleep?" It was the Supercom. She darted to the edge of the bed and reached her arm under the frame, and dug around until she found the Supercom.

She pressed the button on the side of the device and spoke into the receiver. "Mike, is that you?"

She heard a sigh followed by a pause. "Mike?" she asked again, still groggy from being woke up.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked, sounding guilty.

"No," she lied. She didn't want him to feel bad, but unfortunately lying had never been her strong suit.

"Yes, I did. I can tell," he said, sounding upset with himself. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she assured him, already shaking the cobwebs out of her mind. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"I don't know…" Mike sounded unsure and a little bit anxious. "School is starting tomorrow."

The lightbulb went off in El's head. She had almost completely forgotten about the whole thing. It had only been a couple of days ago Mike had mentioned it to her, but it had been in passing, and she had sort of forgot about it. But it was happening tomorrow, and it occurred to her that the reason he was calling her was probably because he was stressed and wanted to talk about it.

Which was something that she was more than happy to do, of course. "Are you worried?"

"A little bit," he replied. "Actually, I'm really worried. I don't want to have to deal with the type of shit that I had to deal with all of middle school. What if it's the same?"

El didn't have a whole lot of experience in comforting people; she knew that she was usually the one who always needed someone to talk to, give how the last few months had been. She wasn't entirely used to Mike coming to her for advice, rather than the other way around. But she knew him well.

Only El knew how brave and selfless and strong and smart he was. What other fourteen-year-old kid had done everything they had done? Faced a Demogorgon head-on, ran through the snaking tunnels of the Upside-Down while being chased by demodogs, and battled the Mindflayer on multiple occasions?

"Mike, look at all the things you've done since I met you," she said. "And you're worried about school?"

Mike laughed. "I won't have you there to save my ass every time though, El," he

explained. "The only reason why I was able to do all of that stuff was because of you."

"That's not true," she disagreed. "Remember Billy? In the sauna?" She shuddered at even thinking of the incident. She didn't think she had ever been more scared in her entire life, other than when they were in the mall and the Mindflayer was literally meters away from her powerless body. "You hit him with the… umm-"

"The barbell?" Mike finished.

"Is that what it's called? Oh. Yes, the barbell," she said. "You're the one who saved me there. If you can do all of that, you can manage high school, Mike. I promise."

He sighed. "But it's different. I can't just hit a classmate a barbell in class."

"No, you can't. But that doesn't mean you can't protect yourself. You don't have to get into a fight with anyone, either. You're the smartest person I know. You could just outsmart them."

"Things are different in school, El," he sighed. "I don't… I don't know. I don't know if anything you would help, but… I just called because talking to you always helps when I'm stressed."

El smiled to herself at hearing that. It was good to know that she was able to help him with stuff like this just by talking to him. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"Unless you can snap your fingers and make kids like me and get rid of my stress, probably not," he said sadly.

"You don't need to stress about, Mike. You're the bravest, smartest, strongest person I know. I promise. I don't know why you don't see that."

Mike knew that El was pretty biased in this discussion, but he couldn't help but feel his confidence and self-esteem shoot up at her words. Maybe she was right. It was just school, after all. He had dealt with more than the average full-grown adult had in the last year and a half. If Troy decided to give him shit, then he'd be able to handle himself. What was stopping him from just punching him in the face? The stupid teachers? He'd get suspended, probably, but at least he'd get suspended with dignity and in good health. It was time for him to start standing up for himself.

"Thank you," he said whole-heartedly. "I feel better now."

"That's what I'm here for," she replied, reciting a line that he had told her many times before.

Mike looked at the clock, and his eyes bugged out when he realized that it was already past midnight. They had been talking a lot longer than he realized. "I should go to bed now," he sighed. "I have to get up really early tomorrow."

"Yeah," El agreed. "Okay. Goodnight, Mike."

"Goodnight, El. I lo- Talk to you tomorrow." The sound of the Supercom being clicked off came through the speaker, and El was left lying in her bed, her heart thumping loudly at realizing what Mike had almost said. Why did he hold back? Did he even know that she had heard him say that he loved her the first time, at the beginning of July? Obviously not, she guessed. It had been over two months since then, and she still hadn't heard those words come out of his mouth.

And she desperately wanted them to.

Why did was he afraid to say it? Did he think that she wouldn't say it back, or what she wouldn't understand? It was confusing and rather upsetting. Was he resisting because it wasn't true? She doubted that that was true. Maybe she could collect some advice from Max on this issue, too…

She turned off her own Supercom and placed it under the bed, and closed her eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Elsewhere, Mike was kicking the shit out of himself for being so stupid. How could he have said that? How could he have let that slip _again_? After the cabin in July, and on all the other occasions he had just gotten away without letting it slip out, how could he have screwed up now?

He hoped that she hadn't picked up on it. He wasn't ready to tell her yet. Well, he knew he was ready to tell her. He just didn't know if she was ready to hear it. There was no way to know how she would react. If Mike was honest with himself, he wasn't even sure if El knew what actual love was. She might have been familiar with familial love, in the sense of the way she loved Hopper, but what about… this kind of love? The love that he felt for her? Did she understand that? Did she feel the same way?

"Fuck," he muttered to himself. He just prayed she didn't realize because then he would be looking forward to a very awkward conversation. All he wished was for there to be some way for him to figure out how she felt without having to ask her, because that would be impossible to do. It was not like he could just ask her "hey, El, do you love me?" Someone else would have to find out for him, most likely.

He cringed inwardly when he considered the option of asking Max to do some spy work. Maybe she could get some information for him? He knew that she and El were close. Or maybe Will could find out, but he didn't really know the type of relationship he had with her.

Damn it.

Right now he had bigger fish to fry with school. He settled his mind down and fell asleep after a few minutes.

* * *

The piercing shriek of the alarm clock ripped through Mike's ears and he jolted awake. On instinct, his hand flew to his bedside table and fumbled around until the noise halted. He cursed under his breath and turned over under the covers and buried his face into the pillow. Unfortunately, he knew that in no more than five minutes his Mom would be hollering up the stairs to make sure he was awake.

With a loud groan that he was pretty sure the neighbors could have heard, he threw the comforter off himself and made his way to the bathroom. He jumped in the shower and dried his hair in good time and walked downstairs to see the rest of his family already sitting down, minus his Dad because he left earlier for work.

Nancy looked up at him and offered him an encouraging smile. "Sleep well?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Well enough," he replied. His mom entered the room holding a plate with toast and scrambled eggs on it. At least Mike could count on his mom for always getting him great breakfasts on school mornings.

"Good morning, Mike," she said, a wide and warm smile spread across her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Feeling better than I was last night," he said honestly. "A little nervous still, but I'm okay."

"Good to hear," she said sweetly. "Hopefully this breakfast does you some good for your first day, then."

"Thanks, Mom," he replied, and eagerly took the plate from her hands.

Once he had finished his plate, he finished getting ready and hopped in the car with Nancy (but not before his mom hounding him for ten minutes to take photos) who dropped him off at Lucas's house, wished him good luck on his first day, and drove off.

Mike glanced at his watch to verify that he was running on time, which he was. Classes started at 8:10, and it was 7:50. Which meant that he'd have time to hang out at Lucas's house before they would have to leave for a couple of minutes, then walk over with the rest of the group. He walked up the walkway and went to knock on the door but it was opened by Will before he could.

"You ready?" he asked.

"I guess so," he replied, trying to mask the unsureness in his voice. "Are we leaving already?" he asked.

"Yeah, everyone is here except for Max," he said. "We're gonna meet her down the street, she's running late."

"Sounds good. Where are Dustin and Lucas?"

"Downstairs, they're still packing their stuff. They'll be up in a sec."

As if on queue, the two teens stumbled up the stairway, bags in hand. "Hey, Mike," Lucas greeted.

"Fuck, I wish it was still summer," Dustin shouted.

"Language!" an annoyed Mrs. Sinclair called from inside the house.

"Sorry," Dustin called, his eyes bugging out when he realized he had forgotten who was still home. "Okay, let's go, I don't want to get yelled at anymore," he whispered and speed-walked out of the doorway. The rest of the boys rolled their eyes and followed him out, an amused look on their faces, with the exception of Lucas.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys," he began. "To not swear in my house?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"My bad," Dustin said. "My mom is a lot more relaxed when it comes to that sort of shit," he said. "I'm not used to it."

"Get used to it," he said. "Every time you come over to my house, my mom has to tell you off for swearing, man."

"Okay, okay," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm sorry. But don't worry, we aren't gonna be meeting at your house for school anyway. Max lives the closest, so we are gonna be meeting there from now on, anyway."

"Good," Lucas said, shaking his head. They turned the corner and saw Max's house up ahead, just in time to watch her open the front door and walk out of the house. She turned to her left and saw the Party and waved at them. The rest of them waved back.

They walked toward each other and met halfway. Max easily noticed that all of them seemed a little bit on edge. A laugh escaped her. "What's so funny?" Lucas asked her after giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"You guys look like deer caught in the headlights," she stated. "Just calm down. It's not a big deal." She placed her skateboard on the ground and rolled ahead a couple of feet before turning back. "After all, you have your _zoomer _to protect you," she added sarcastically.

The Party chuckled to themselves. "Yeah, yeah," Dustin said. "If _zoomer _can shove her skateboard up Troy's ass, it would be appreciated," he joked dryly. The Party laughed.

They spent the remainder of their walk to Hawkins High talking amongst themselves, and at that time, Mike was actually feeling pretty confident. At least he knew that no matter what happened, he'd always have his friends to back him up. And he also knew that no one in that school shared the same bond that the Party did. So in a way, they probably had an advantage over everyone else in the school.

After a few more minutes of walking, the school came into view. Hoards of students, most of which seemed a lot taller than them were walking into the doors and walking around outside. A couple of kids could be seen smoking cigarettes, which Nancy had warned Mike to never get involved in. A couple of cars were pulling into the parking lot, being driven by the seniors.

"They look so… old," Will said with a heavy swallow.

"I'm not looking forward to starting from square one again," Lucas muttered. It had been easier being the oldest kids in the school. When they were in grade six, they would always have to worry about the kids that were not just in _their_ grade, but the older grades too. Kids in younger grades didn't often give older kids problems. But now, they would have to worry about the grade tens, elevens, and twelves, plus the nines in their own grade.

"It's fine," Max said dismissively. "Most of them have better things to do than harass runts like us. High schools aren't like the movies, you know. Not everyone is out to get you."

The rest of them hoped she was right. "She has a point," Dustin put forth. "If I was in grade ten or something, I probably wouldn't even give up the time to look at a younger kid."

"Everyone is here just to handle their own stuff," Max stated. "Not many people look for an issue."

They continued walking toward the main doors. They were able to pick out some of the students that were obviously freshmen. It was easy to see who was in grade nine; everyone seemed to have those trademark nervous expressions and unsureness. They were mostly in clusters, which wasn't shocking. It was hard to believe that anyone would want to be walking into something like this alone.

Once they got through the front door, the area opened up in front of them and they were greeted by a large foyer where dozens of students had gathered. Like outside, all of them seemed to be separated into different groups and cliques, and in between those amalgamations of children, there were stray students walking around and talking to one another.

Simply put, it looked like a mess.

"Nancy told me that new students go to the gymnasium," Mike told them, turning around. "If we can figure out where that is, then I'm sure we can get some instructions." The rest of them nodded in agreement and looked around.

"There seems to be a lot of foot traffic over there," Lucas said, pointing to the right. "Maybe the gym is somewhere over there?"

"We can look," Will said. "We got here early, so we don't have to worry about being late."

With some degree of difficulty, they were able to navigate through the crowds of kids toward the other hallway. As Max had predicted, most of the older kids didn't seem to look at them twice, or even acknowledge that they were there. Mike silently thanked his parents' genes for making him tall, because he couldn't imagine being short and trying to get through everyone. However, there were still a lot of kids who were even taller than him. _At least I'm not Will_, he thought.

Sure enough, when the reached the hall, Mike saw a pair of double doors wing open and he caught a glimpse of the tiled wooden floor of a gym in front of a set of bleachers. "It's over there, guys," he announced. "Just follow me." He assumed the role of the leader, acting as a sort of wedge to drive away the groups of students so that his friends could follow behind him.

"Good thing we have you, Mike," Dustin joked. "I think we would have gotten lost by now if it wasn't for your height."

"Yeah," he laughed. It was good that he had grown a fair amount over the summer. He was now about an inch above Lucas, who was the second tallest in the Party.

They managed to squeeze in through the doors, and walked as quickly as they could to the bleachers. After securing some seats on the top row, they all let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. "Okay, we're here," Lucas exhaled. "We can relax now."

A few minutes later, the first bell rang. After the last few students trickled in, the staff and a man in a suit who they assumed to be the principal started talking amongst themselves while waiting for everyone to get settled. Mike felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over to face Will.

"What's up?" he asked.

Will discreetly pointed with his thumb to his left. "Troy and his buddies," he whispered. "They're over there."

Mike followed Will's finger and scowled when he saw the group of jackasses sitting in the far corner of the bleachers. "Fuck them," he muttered through gritted teeth. "I don't recognize some of those kids."

"Maybe he made some new friends this summer," Will suggested. "Whatever. I don't want to think about it right now." Mike nodded and both of them turned back to face the front of the gym where the principal was fiddling with a microphone.

"Testing, one two three, testing- okay! Hello everyone!" The conversations that were happening all died down and everyone looked at the front of the gym. "Thank you, everyone. Welcome to Hawkins High!"

From there, the principal launched into a lengthy speech regarding school rules, clubs and teams, dress codes, classes, courses, and a whole bunch of other stuff that one would expect to hear in an introductory speech to a horde of ninth-graders on the first day of school.

It dragged on for a while before the principal instructed them all to step forward and collect their schedules which were being handed out in order of last name. There were seven staff members handing them out, so the process was done in about fifteen minutes. After getting their schedules, the Party promptly escaped the gym and weaseled through the crowds to get the library (which they found by asking an older student that they saw in the hallway).

"Okay," Max said once they had sat down. "So the grade nines have… five minutes from now to get to first period. So let's figure these timetables out."

The Party all took their pieces of paper and sprawled them out across the table they were seated at. "Most of our courses are mandatory in grade nine, so we're probably gonna be in a lot of the same classes," Will reasoned.

"That's good," Lucas replied. "What electives did you guys choose, again?"

Before they finished school in grade eight, their guidance counselor had helped them select their courses for grade nine. They only had room for one elective, because everything else was mandatory in grade nine. On top of that, the options were limited.

"I took a second art course," Will answered.

"Computer science," Mike said, to which Dustin gave him a fist bump, given he was taking the same thing.

"Me and Stalker over here took one of the fitness courses," Max stated, giving her boyfriend a smile.

They stopped talking for a second while they looked over their schedules. Thankfully, with the exception of Will being alone for his second art class, it appeared that none of them would ever be alone in their classrooms. Each of them had at least one party member in their class for all their subjects.

"Thank God," Mike grumbled. "I'd rather die than do a group project with a bunch of wastoids or something." The rest of them murmured in agreement.

"We better branch off," Will said, looking at the clock above the library door. "The bell is gonna ring in a couple seconds."

"Alright," Mike agreed, grabbing the sheet of paper he was looking at and folding it up before jamming it in his pocket. "I have math first. Will, you're with me, right?"

"Yup," he said, doing the same. "Good luck guys."

The group said their good-byes until lunch and headed off. "Just stay behind me, squirt," Mike teased Will.

Will chuckled. "Just you wait. You got lucky with your growth spurt this summer. I'll catch up."

"Uh-huh," Mike grinned, and started walking toward the room. It was number 231, so he knew that it was upstairs. They found the nearest stairwell and managed to get up in good time, given that most of the students were in class and only the grade nines were up and about.

"There it is," Will pointed ahead toward an open door with a piece of wood stuck to it that had the numbers _321_ engraved onto it.

"Good eye," Mike complimented and quicken the pace to the room. They walked in together and saw about two dozen other students, a pretty even mix between males and females all sitting at desks arranged in groups of two, conveniently. There were several empty spots to sit; the two front ones, one at the far back, and three in the middle.

"Let's take the middle one," Mike whispered to Will, who nodded. Neither of them wanted to sit at the front and establish themselves as "nerds," but they didn't want to migrate all the way to the back, because then the teacher probably would think they were slackers.

They sat down at the desk in front of a pair of girls, one of which seemed to be _really_ pushing the dress code. There were a handful of people talking, but most kids were silent. The second bell rang and within a second the teacher walked in. He was an Asian man who identified himself as "Mr. Chen." He seemed to be nice enough.

Mr. Chen briefly outlined what they would be covering in the course, most of which seemed to be algebra or algebra related. He mentioned something about "linear functions and relationships," or something like that, as well. It seemed pretty straight forward.

"Everything that you learn in this course will be the base of everything you will learn in the future," he stated. "It is imperative for you all to understand the skills I teach you in order to succeed in later grades." He glanced at the clock. "I'll be handing out a worksheet for you all to complete. If you don't finish it, it will be finished at home. It's just a review of what you likely did in middle school. I will be taking it up tomorrow."

Mike's second class of the day, English, was more of the same. He had that class with Max and Lucas. The desks were all arranged individually, but the three of them were able to find a spot where they could all sit beside one another. The teacher who taught it, a middle-aged woman named Mrs. Davis, seemed a lot more strict than Mr. Chen. She seemed to have a very "no-nonsense" vibe going on in her class. In contrast to the math room, the room was rather bare; in Mr. Chen's room, there were posters and photos and other decorations spread out across the walls. In here, it was mostly just shelves of old books.

The period went by quickly, and before they knew it, their lunch period had arrived. They had agreed to meet in the foyer where they had been earlier, which proved to be a mistake because it was insanely busy. Eventually, they all located one another and found their way to the cafeteria.

"So," Dustin sat down with a huge exhale and fished a bologna sandwich out of his lunch bag. "How you guys doing?"

The rest of them got their lunches out and took a bite before answering. "My math and English teachers are nice," Mike said. "Mrs. Davis seems really strict, though."

"I have her next semester," Dustin replied. "I'll be sure to be careful." The rest of them nodded.

Everyone compared notes and it seemed like everything was going well for all of them. Mike looked around and, to his surprise, didn't see Troy and his goons anywhere nearby. "Do any of you guys have classes with Troy?" he asked.

A series of no's and nope's went around the table. "I think it's because he's in the basic-level classes," Will said. "There are different levels for courses. He probably took the lower ones because he's too stupid."

"Well, I'm not complaining," Lucas said, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"You guys really don't like this Troy person, do you?" Max asked, looking concerned.

All of them shook their heads. "He was a really big pain in grade sixth and seventh grade, but when El broke his arm he started to leave us alone."

Max choked on her food. "I'm sorry, what?"

Dustin looked at her, a stupid grin across his face. "Did we never tell you the story? Of what El did to Troy when he tried fucking with me and Mike?"

Max looked around the table, an incredulous look on her face. "_No,_" she said, enunciating the word heavily.

Dustin launched into the story of El making troy piss himself, and then her running away when the group got mad at her for flinging Lucas into a bus, followed by Lucas getting mad at them, forcing Dustin and Mike to look for El on their own. Mike then took over and described how Troy made him jump off the quarry when they chased them with knives, and El saved him and broke Troy's arm in the process.

"Wow," she said when they had finished. "How come you never told me?"

"Did I not tell you last year? In the arcade?" Lucas asked, confused.

"I don't think so," she said. "I'm pretty sure I would have remembered it."

Lucas shrugged. "Yeah, anyway," he said. "That's that."

They ate the rest of their lunches in comfortable silence; most of them were too busy looking around and absorbing the new landscape, anyway. There were a lot of new people, new scenery, new concepts to learn when it came to highschool. It was pretty overwhelming, if they were honest.

After their hour-and-a-half-long lunch period was up, they parted ways to go to their individual classes. For third period Mike had French, a subject that he was not particularly fond of. He had already decided that he would not be continuing the course after grade nine. He mostly zoned out during his teachers lengthy introductory speech, but he paid attention somewhat. It didn't help that she was speaking french half the time.

Oh, well. He could tolerate one mark in the seventies. He wouldn't be taking it again. At least he could do group projects with Dustin and Lucas.

His last period class was gym. Great. On his way to it, he shook his head to himself. Why on Earth was this a mandatory course? On top of that, the only person who was in this class with him from the Party was Max.

It's not that Mike didn't _like _Max. It was just that they were still on… weird terms. She had broken up him and El, influenced her pretty heavily, in ways both good and bad, he guessed. But something about them hadn't quite clicked yet. Having her was better than having nobody, though. And besides, from what he had heard, the boys and girls barely mixed. They were in the same room for attendance and that was about it, and twice a week they would all go to the main gym for fitness testing. Other than that, there was a second gym that Nancy told him the girls went to for most cases.

That meant that, for the majority of his time in this class, he would be alone.

Great.

_I'm sure I can find some nice people, _Mike thought as he walked into the changeroom and dropped his backpack on the ground. It was the first class so they weren't expected to change, but everyone else was coming in to drop their things off, so Mike figured he would, too. There were already several students in the changeroom, about half of which were actually talking to one another. He recognized most of the students from Hawkins middle (it wasn't like there were any other feeder schools in the area), but there were some new faces. He didn't bother talking to anyone until the door swung open and the final person entered the room.

It was Troy.

As soon as he walked through the door, Mike turned away and pretended to look in his bag, acting like he hadn't noticed him. What he had said that morning was true; he was feeling less nervous about everything, and after talking to El, he was definitely more confident in his abilities to deal with a situation. But he still preferred for there to just not be a situation at all. And hopefully, if he didn't confront him, then there wouldn't be one.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. He heard footsteps behind him that seemed to be exaggeratingly loud. The smell of cigarette smoke filled his nostrils. _Had Troy been smoking?_

"Wheeler," he said loudly. The talking in the changeroom died down. It seemed as though most people knew who Troy was. Perhaps the rest of the kids had a similar opinion as he did regarding him.

He put on a brave face and stood up from his bag and stood up as tall he could without

looking weird and turned around.

Troy had grown taller, but so had he; where Troy had previously been taller than Mike, they were now equal. But he definitely had a weight advantage over him, because Mike was still on the lanky side. Behind him stood three other boys. He recognized one as James, the other kid from the quarry. He had put on some weight since the end of grade eight it seemed, and was even more intimidating. The other two boys he didn't recognize.

"Troy," he said simply, merely acknowledging the fact that he had said his name.

"These are my friends," he said smugly. "This is Daniel, and this is Ron. And you

remember James, right?" Mike surveyed the group of boys. Ron was an Asian kid who was a little on the short side, but his steely gaze still stared daggers at Mike. Mike didn't consider himself racist, but Ron definitely seemed to be the type of kid to know some kind of martial art. On the other hand, Daniel was a really skinny kid, with a lot of freckles and piercing in each earlobe with greasy, long brown hair that sort of hung in his eyes a little bit.

"Yes," he said curtly, not bothering to say hello to his two new acquaintances.

"It sucks that you're in our gym class," Troy said, his lip curling into a stupidly condescending smirk.

"I'd have to agree," Mike replied, keeping eyes fixated on Troy's. There was no way in

Hell that he was going to look away first and show any kind of weakness.

"No," Troy said, taking a step forward. "It sucks for _us. _Because every time we play a game, we might have your faggot-ass on our team. And that would really suck for us, right?"

Mike said the first snappy comeback he could think of; "Yeah, it would. But I guess it would also suck to piss yourself in front of an entire school, wouldn't it? You'd know a thing or two about that, wouldn't you, Troy?"

A series of "ooh's" and "oh's" echoed through the changeroom. Troy's face contorted and he glared at Mike in a way that made his skin crawl, but he didn't show it. He didn't back down.

Troy stepped forward so that his face was only a couple inches away from Mike's. He could smell the smoke even more and he had to resist the urge to cough. "This is gonna be a rough year for you, Wheeler," he said quietly, so that no one else could hear.

"Hm," Mike grunted in response. He watched as Troy and the rest of his gang stalked out of the room and into the gym.

Mike might not have won the war yet, but this battle had been won.

**Alright, that's it for this one! I hope you guys all liked it. Leave me your thoughts and I'll respond to all of them. I'll see you all soon :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Welcome back, everyone! How's everyone's quarantine vacation going? I hope you're all safe and healthy. I've been trying to focus on my homework mainly for the last week; I'm trying to get all of my school stuff out of the way before I put all my attention here, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for too long :) This is a shorter chapter, but I didn't really know what else to do with this one before I move on. So I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Luna0603: I'm also really excited to explore highschool with the Party. I have a lot of ideas for things I can do. In response to your thoughts on the structure of their day, I just mimicked how things go where I live; I live in Canada, and that's how schools work here, so I just did it that way. I find it to be good. Hopefully Mike can brave off what Troy throws at him :) PS. I hope the next chapter TTWAS comes out soon!**

**Hypersushi: It won't be the last time we see Troy in this fic...**

**Yla: Indeed**

Gym class ended up going fine. Troy never spoke to Mike during class, not that they ever got the chance. They spent the majority of the class the same way they spent the other classes; listening to the teacher lecture about rules and expectations and what to do and what not to do. He was relieved to hear that most of the gym grade would be dependent on attendance, so as long as he showed up, he wouldn't have to stress about being able to pass.

After class, Mike left promptly to avoid any further change-room interactions with Troy and made his way out of the room and got into the hallway. He was instantly greeted by a swam of students all heading the same direction, and he silently thanked God for his tall height again as he began navigating through the halls. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. It was Max.

"Hey," she said. "You good?"

Mike furrowed his brows. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I saw Troy in your class," she stated. "And I know that he's one of the reasons why you

guys are so jittery about high school."

He shrugged. "He tried telling me off in the changeroom, that's it."

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you and the guys when we get out of here. I'm getting claustrophobic in this hall."

Max nodded. "Lead the way," she joked. Mike made a face and proceeded to act as a battering ram to get by, with Max in tow. When they finally made it outside, they saw the rest of the Party waiting by the bike racks near the wall, and walked toward them.

"How was gym?" Will asked.

Mike kissed his teeth. "Troy's in my class," he said through gritted teeth. The group grimaced.

"Shit," Dustin cursed. "That's fucked."

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Did anything happen today with him?" Lucas asked.

"Not really," Mike replied honestly. "He just started talking a bunch of shit to me, so I reminded him of the time he pissed himself in middle school, which seemed to shut him up and score me some brownie points with the other kids."

The rest of them grinned. "Good," Max said. "I told you guys, you can handle yourselves."

"Yeah, until he punches me in the stomach or something," Mike grumbled. The rest of the boys shared knowing glances.

"Cross that bridge if you come to it," Max said. "I just want to go home right now."

Everyone else nodded. "Max do you want to come over to my house for a bit?"

She shook her head. "No, I got plans today. I can't." Lucas was about to ask with what, but then Mike spoke up.

"I'm probably gonna check to see what El is doing right now," Mike said.

"Might wanna hold that thought, Mike," Max grinned. "I'm with El today."

Lucas and Mike looked at one another. _Guess we'll hang out, then. _"Okay, have fun then. With whatever you girls do."

"We will," Max said with a smirk, and discreet look to Mike, for she knew exactly what she was going over to her house to talk about.

* * *

Max knocked on the door and within a second it was being opened by El. Max smiled at her, and El nervously smiled back. While she was completely comfortable with Max and talking to her, she had to admit, she found it kind of awkward to be talking to her about stuff like this. When she had called her on the Supercom that morning, she had literally said "I need help with sex."

Despite her poor wording, Max had more or less understood what she needed help with, so here they were.

"Hi," Max greeted, and stepped inside quickly. "Is anyone home?"

"No," El replied. "I think Will must have gone to Mike's or something, because he hasn't gotten home yet. And Mom and Jonathan are working."

Max looked around, once again familiarizing herself with the Byers home. It hadn't been too long since she had been there. But everytime she did find herself in the house, her mind always drifted off to that night where Billy and Steve got into that fight, and El closed the gate. It had been such a hectic night.

"Do you want to hang out in your room?" she suggested.

"Sure," she agreed, and they both walked deeper into the house after Max kicked off her shoes in the living room. They both sat down on the bed and El breathed in heavily, not knowing where to start.

"Do you want anything to drink?" she asked, knowing that it was customary to offer guests drinks (Joyce had told her that).

"No, I'm okay," she said, before her face turned into a much more excited expression. "Let's get into the meat and potatoes of why you called me here, El," she exclaimed, almost giddy.

El smiled, her eyebrows raised. "Why are you so… excited?"

"I don't know," she said, practically bouncing on the bed with excitement. "I guess it's just… I don't know. I feel like you're my little baby and you're like… growing up or something. I don't know. I guess I'm just being weird."

El laughed. She was getting flashbacks to the time when they first hung out in her cabin, after they had just gone shopping for the first time. "Well, thanks for coming," she began. "I know you gave me those magazines and they helped a lot but… there was still some stuff that I wanted to ask someone, and I didn't really want to ask Joyce, so…"

"No, it's fine, I understand," she said. "There's just some stuff that you don't tell parents."

"Yes," she agreed. "So, um… I just wanted to know, have you, like, actually done anything with Lucas yet?"

Max mulled things over in her mind. Would it be a good idea to tell El? She was positive that she wouldn't tell anyone, except for maybe Mike, but it was likely that he probably already knew from Lucas. And it wasn't like she minded any of the Party members knowing what they did; they were of that age when kids started experimenting, so there wouldn't be any judgment floating around. On top of that, she trusted all of them with her life, so none of them should be going around telling people, after all.

"Yeah, we have done stuff," she replied. "But we haven't gone the whole way yet."

El looked confused. "What's 'the whole way?'"

"Sex," she clarified. "We haven't had sex yet."

"Oh," she replied quietly. She looked kind of forlorn.

"What's wrong? Did you expect us to have?"

El shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "But you're still able to help, right?"

Max scooted closer to where she was sitting. "Yeah, of course. We've done other stuff."

"Like… foreplay? That stuff? I read about it in the magazine."

Max felt her cheeks getting warm. She had anticipated this conversation; this was the

whole damn reason she had even came here in the first place. Nonetheless, as it would be with anyone, it was kind of embarrassing to talk about. Especially considering that, with El, she kind of felt like she was talking to an eleven year old in some ways.

"Well… Lucas has gone down on me. And I have on him, too." El's eyebrows fell downward in incredulity. "Oh," Max said, realizing that she couldn't say what she was trying to say with slang and euphemisms. _Guess we're going to the bullpen, then. _

"I've given him blowjobs. And he's eaten me out." El's mouth turned into a silent "oh," as she remembered reading _those _terms in the magazines. She found it hard to picture either of them doing that stuff, but the idea of it made her excited to try them with Mike.

"How was it?" she asked. Max looked thoughtful.

"It was actually pretty good the first time… for both things. For both of us. But the more we did it, the better it got."

"How many times have you guys done it?" she asked.

"Umm… maybe five or six times? It's only been about two months since our first time, and we don't get too much alone time. We were only able to hang out in public and at Lucas's house for our whole relationship, and his parents are pretty strict when it comes to the whole 'girls in the bedroom' thing, you know?"

El nodded, all too familiar with the strict "three-inch-minimum" rule that Hopper enforced when she lived at the cabin. "So how did you get the chance to do it, then?"

Max shrugged. "There were times when no one was home. We figured it out," she explained.

El paused to think for a second. "How did it happen? Like how did you guys… start? Do you know what I mean?" she questioned hesitantly.

"Yeah, I do," she answered. "Um, to be honest, it kind of just… happened. Lucas is kind of nervous and squirrely, so he never did anything without me practically spoon feeding it to him. He always asked me if what he was doing was okay with me… which I guess is a good thing, but at times I wished that he would just do it, right? It kind of takes you out of the moment."

"Yes," she agreed. "Mike does that a lot. It's sweet, but I always remind him that what he does is fine and that I'd tell him if something was wrong."

"Yeah," Max said, nodding her head. "Anyway, one night, which was pretty soon after the Fourth, we were lying in bed together, and I remember thinking about how much he had done for us that day, and how nice and caring and kind he was being. And I kind of just wanted to thank him for it, so I just kind of…" she trailed off before continuing. "Okay, El, just let me know if you want me to stop talking, or if you're, like, uncomfortable or something, okay? I don't want to make you feel weirded out."

"Okay," she said. "Keep going."

She took a breath. "I just put my hand into his pants and went for it. And he asked me if I knew what I was doing, and I said yes, so then it just went from there."

El nodded slowly in understanding. "So you just took off his pants, and… used your mouth?"

Max swallowed, both embarrassed and amused at how direct El was being. She couldn't tell if that was just the way she was, or if she just didn't understand the gravity of the questions she was asking. Either way, she wasn't going to not provide an answer. After all, she was, all things considered, her best friend (that was a girl). At this point, she would probably only put El above the rest of the guys, with the exception of Lucas.

"Yeah," she said.

El toyed with the tips of her hair nervously. "Do you think Mike would be okay if I did that

to him?"

Max laughed. "Mike? Hell yeah, I think he'd love it. I think any fourteen year old kid would. He'd probably love giving you some attention, too," she threw in mischievously, waving a hand down to between El's legs.

El grinned sheepishly at the idea. "Well, he's already done some stuff. And I have too, kind of."

"Ooh!" Max exclaimed in excitement. "Do tell," she said, nearly bursting at the seams. She felt like a child on Christmas morning. It wasn't quite the type of gossip that most teenage girls would be sharing, but sitting with a friend alone in a bedroom talking about this stuff made her feel so… normal. Like her life hadn't been a crazy whirlwind ever since she joined the party. She was loving every second of this conversation with her best friend (in spite of the fact that she felt a little awkward talking about it out loud, but that was okay).

"He's, um… touched me… down there. I think it's called 'fingering?'"

Max nodded, already sort of surprised that they had already gone that far with things, but she was sort of in a way proud of El for making that step. "That's good. Me and Lucas have done that too. What did you think?"

El grinned stupidly and giddily. "It was… great."

"How many times have you guys done it?"

"Only once," she replies sadly. "We don't get many chances to do stuff alone."

Max nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I feel you," Max sympathized. "Have you guys done anything else?"

El thought. "Um, he's… kissed me… here," she said, motioning toward her chest with her hand. "But I think I might have already told you that. And that's it, besides kissing and stuff."

"Right," Max said. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. And you guys haven't had any problems with any stuff, right? Like, it's all been good?"

"Yeah," El agreed.

"So I don't think that either of you guys would have an issue with moving to the next level, if you know what I mean."

El nodded, but Max could still see a slight shadow of question on her face. "What's wrong?"

El sighed. She felt awkward asking it but… "Max, I don't really, um, know how to give… Mike a-"

"A blowjob," Max finished for her. The way the word sounded coming out of her mouth was odd, and even felt a little bit unnatural. But at the same time, it made her feel scandalous and dirty, but, oddly enough, she wasn't opposed to that.

"Yes," El agreed, her face turning red for the umpteenth time since they had started talking. Max scratched her neck, not really positive as to how she could describe how to give a guy head. She had only given it a handful of times herself, and by no means considered herself experienced or knowledgable on it. But what she knew was more than what El knew.

"No teeth," she said firmly. "I know that sometimes bites and teeth and shit feel could on the mouth and neck and stuff, but I tried it on Lucas; don't. It doesn't feel good. Ever."

"Okay," El replied, making sure to remember that, because it seemed important by the way Max was talking about it. "What else?"

"Don't just put it on your mouth," she instructed. "Any kind of, like, um... " She still felt awkward saying it. "Licking, or kissing, is good. Like, bottom to top, around the tip, all that stuff. And make sure to not forget about like, his balls."

El gave her a blank look. "His testicles. I'm sure you must have seen them in the magazines. Didn't you also mention that Hopper gave you a sex ed book when you started getting your period?"

"Ohh," El said, finally understanding. "Yes. I saw in the pictures. The diagrams."

"Yeah. Apparently it feels good for them when you lick and suck them too. But _gentle_."

"Okay," El said again, confirming her comprehension. "Anything else?"

"Uhh," Max hummed thinking. "Yeah, I guess there's one more thing. Don't go to far."

"What?"

"When you're giving a dude head, don't take it in too far. It could trigger your gag reflex, and that's not a good time. If you're gonna try to deep throat-"

"What's that?"

"When you take it as far as it can go, and it kind of, I guess, hits the back of your throat. I can't do it. Not yet, at least."

The idea of that sounded unappealing to El. "Do boys like it?"

"I'd guess yes," Max answered. "It's probably really similar to being inside a pussy."

El sat in silence for a few seconds, processing all of the new information that had been given to her. There was certainly a lot to process. It made her more nervous to actually trying give Mike any kind of oral sex in the future, but at the same time, a little bit more excited. She had more to go off of now, and a little more guidance. For that, she was thankful.

"What happens when he wants to… do it to me?" El asked.

"Like what, go down on you?"

"Yes. Is there anything I can do to prepare?"

"Well," Max began. "You could probably shave. Maybe ask Joyce to buy a razor for you, and you could start shaving your legs and pubic hair and shit. I'm assuming you have hair down there by now, right? We're fourteen."

"Yes," she confirmed. It shouldn't be a problem to ask Joyce for a razor. It's not like it was a suspicious thing to have.

"Alright, that;s good. And other than that, just make sure you clean yourself down there and keep good hygiene. That's about it."

"Okay, I'm already doing that anyway," she replied.

Max clapped her hands together. "Okay, then, El," she said, looking pleased with herself. "I think that's all the advice I have for you, then."

"Thank you, Max." El was feeling much better about the starting to progress the physical aspect of her and Mike's relationship. Thanks to Max, she at least had an outline of how to do certain things and what she could expect from it.

"Anytime, El," she replied. "And let me know if you ever need help with other stuff, okay? I'll always be around," she said with a smile. El returned the gesture.

Max looked around the room. "Do you want to do something, maybe? Hang out, just the two of us?"

El sat up straighter on the bed. "Sure. Like what?"

Then, Max could practically hear the ding of a lightbulb go off in her head. "I could try teaching you how to skateboard," she suggested.

El smiled. "Okay."

* * *

Needless to say, El did not make much progress in learning how to skateboard. However, she did gain a lot more respect for Max for being able to. The way she was able to do the tricks left her in awe. Even though she assured her that "she was just a beginner and only knew basic tricks," El was still thoroughly impressed. Jonathan got home, and since Joyce was working late he made everyone scrambled eggs.

It had been a pleasant day to say the least. Unfortunately, at the end of it all, it only made El more sad to know that within nearly three weeks, she'd be leaving Hawkins.

"How was your day, El?" Jonathan asked after putting a bite of egg in his mouth and chewing it.

"Good," El replied. Her relationship with Jonathan was nice, but as of now, she wouldn't consider him as a brother the same she would Will. It wasn't like she had much experience with sibling relationships and such, but she definitely felt a connection to Will that she hadn't achieved with anyone else, which she hadn't quite yet achieved with the older Byers boy. "I hung out with Max for most of the day."

Jonathan nodded. "Mom's working late, so you guys have the evening to yourselves. I'm going out with some of my friends, so stay out of trouble, alright?" he said with a teasing smile.

"Does Mom know?" Will asked.

"Yeah, of course," Jonathan replied. "Just entertain yourselves, alright?"

The two of them nodded. Jonathan gave them a thumbs up and headed to the door to throw on his light jacket to shield him from the cool summer air. When the door closed, Will looked at El. "What do you want to do?"

El sat up from her seat and put her plate in the sink after rinsing it off. "I'm going to call Mike. I want to see how his day was, I haven't talked to him all day."

"Okay, I'll be in the kitchen drawing or something," Will replied.

El walked to her bedroom and closed the door, and immediately sought after the Supercom under the bed. She jumped on the bed, bouncing on the mattress before she came to a rest on her pillow. She clicked the little machine on and spoke into the receiver, her voice brimming with excitement.

"Come in, Mike. This is El," she spoke giddily.

It was only a few more seconds after when she heard the voice of the boy she loved come back through. "El! Hi!"

His voice was staticky and fuzzy, but it still managed to nearly hypnotize her. "Hi," she said back. "I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner, I was with Max today."

"Yeah, Max told us after school today. How was it? What'd you guys do?"

Well, obviously El couldn't tell Mike what they _really _did. "We just talked about girl stuff. Then she tried teaching me how to skateboard."

Mike laughed. "How was that?"

"Hard," she replied. "I don't know how she's able to do it. I kept falling off."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to ever learn how to skateboard. I'd probably break my neck."

El chuckled at the mental image of Mike riding around on a skateboard. It was bizarre to imagine him doing such a thing. "What about you. How was school?"

"It was okay, I guess," Mike answered. "A lot bigger than Hawkins Middle. And all the kids are really older than us, so everyone's tall. But thankfully, I'm really tall for my age, I guess, so I was able to get around."

"I guess Will must have had some trouble, then?" El joked, and Mike laughed.

"Ha, ha," Will said sarcastically through the door. "I heard that. I'm not that short!" he yelled. El and Mike laughed. They could tell Will was just bantering.

"What else?" she asked.

"Uh, well my classes seem alright. I have a balanced schedule. Teachers all seem fine, too," he said. But then his tone changed. "But there is one thing, though…"

El got worried. "What's wrong?"

"One of the bullies. Troy. The kid whose arm you broke all that time ago? Do you remember?"

El's blood started to simmer. She remembered seeing that boy hold a knife to Dustin's neck, and then making Mike jump off the side of the cliff. Breaking his arm had been nothing but pure enjoyment for her. And if she was honest, she'd do it again with both of them if he ever gave Mike any more trouble.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice taking on the robotic tone it usually did when she was angry.

"Nothing," he said hurriedly. "Nothing happened. Not yet, at least."

"What do you mean?"

"He's in my gym class. He tried giving me trouble today in the changeroom."

"Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you?"

"No, he was just talking shit. But I reminded him of when he pissed himself in grade seven, and that shut him up. But he threatened me after. And he had bunch of friends with him, and I think they might have been skipping class and smoking."

"Like, cigarettes? Like Hopper did?"

"Yeah, but kids who do it aren't usually the best kinds of people," he said. "Anyway, after that, they left me alone. But I just don't want anything to happen in the future, you know?"

"Yes," she said. "If anything happens, tell me," she instructed.

Mike laughed. "What, so you can break his other arm?"

"Depends," she answered honestly.

"You can't fight all by battles, El," Mike replied. "Don't worry. I think I can handle myself with him. But thank you."

El sighed. "Okay," she said. "Well, I'm happy that you stood up to him," she said with a smile on her face. "I'm… proud of you."

Mike's heart swelled. He felt as if the corners of his mouth were going to touch his eyes. "Thanks, El."

**And that's the end of chapter 33! It's hard to believe that we've already reached this number. Guess I'm going to have to stretch this story out a lot, considering that ST filming is postponed and will probably be delayed for months... Make sure to stick around, guys! Take it easy and enjoy your extended vacation haha**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey everyone! It's been about a week since my last update, so I stayed up late to finish this one. My sleep schedule is fucked anyways, so it was no skin off my teeth, haha. Enjoy, guys :)**

**Hypersushi: Thanks! Hope you like this one, too!**

**Luna0603: They are! I really enjoyed writing the Supercom call, glad you enjoyed reading it. You'll like this chapter, I bet :) Hope you're staying safe from Corona.**

**Guest: I forgot to include that part, lmao... not to worry, I'll work it in somewhere into the plot. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Shrike176: Ah, thank you for that :) i'm happy that this fic is helping some of you get through the 1 year+ long break in between seasons. I still plan to keep this fic going for a long time. Glad you liked the Max and El conversation. Some of your thoughts will be addressed in this chapter!**

"Alright, everyone! Line up for the Beep Test!"

A series of moans and disappointed vocalizations washed through the gymnasium all at once. The gym teacher scoffed in response. "Come on, guys. This is how fitness testing works! Welcome to high school, this isn't some pussy shit!"

Mike bit back a laugh. As much as he hated the class, he found it awfully amusing to hear a teacher cuss the way Mr. Jansen did. After his first week of high school, the main difference that he had observed was the acute lack of… "babying," is what he would call it, for lack of a better term. The teachers in Hawkins Middle were all so friendly and coddling to all the students. Here, it was like being thrown into the deep end. Things were faster paced, the stakes were higher… everything seemed to be raised.

To a smart kid like Mike, that was nothing to be upset about. One thing that him and the Party had in common was that they always seemed to be light-years ahead of the rest of the class in everything back in middle school. In their current environment, he felt like he actually belonged here. Maybe he could actually be challenged and learn things that he always wanted to learn, instead of worrying about the dumb kids holding the rest of the class back.

That being said, no teacher could hold really hold a candle to Mr. Jansen. He had heard rumors of certain teachers being known for swearing in classes, which he guessed was more acceptable in this new, more mature environment. It was his best guess that no one had reported Mr. Jansen because they were afraid of what he would do to them if he found out.

Mike chuckled to himself and placed his right foot on the starting line, and silently hoped to himself that he wouldn't embarrass himself too much. The good thing about his gym class was that it seemed to be a pretty even mix between kids like himself (who weren't very athletic) and kids more like Troy, who were obviously more of the gym-type and less of the academics-type. That at least meant that he didn't stick out like a sore thumb. But he knew that for Troy, he would always have a permanent target on his back that he wouldn't be able to get rid of.

"Okay, go!" Mr. Jansen yelled, at the automated beep from the radio resounded through the echoey room. Mike took off and started at a slow pace, trying not to gas himself out too early in the test.

The way the test worked was simple; you would run ten lengths of the gym and get to each end before the beep, and you would do that ten times before the intervals between the beeps got shorter. And you would just continue until you couldn't go any longer. The average level for Mike's age group was actually pretty low. If he was able to get to that point, he'd be happy with himself.

The first four rounds he completed with relative ease. He was actually pleasantly surprised with himself; it wasn't like he regularly jogged, so he didn't really have a benchmark for himself. Maybe he had improved since middle school. He had grown a lot taller, and gained a lot of weight but hadn't really gotten chubbier.

Maybe he had just gained some muscle?

Round five passed, and Mike was still going strong. Round six came and when it ended, his heart swelled with pride. A third of the class had already dropped out and were panting, and he was still doing okay. He was definitely breathing a lot harder than he had been at the beginning, and his feet were starting to get a little sorer with each step he took, but he was determined to hold on for as losing as he could so he could shove it in Troy's face. He didn't want him to have any ammunition against him to berate him in the changeroom with.

It came to his realization that two of Troy's goons had dropped from the test; the really skinny and the larger kid were both sitting at the side, glaring at him. He couldn't help but smirking to himself when he noticed.

By the time round seven finished, he was gasping for air and his lungs were burning so he had to drop. To his shock, he had made tenth place in his heat of thirty-seven boys. He placed his hands on his hips and let out a breath of relief and pride.

He spent the rest of the class sitting on the sidelines waiting for the class to go (there were still two other heats to race). In the last heat, Troy got a score of ten in the last heat, which Mike wasn't really surprised about. At least he wasn't too far off from what he had gotten. He saw Troy flash him a scowl when the test ended, as if to boast the fact that he had gotten a better score. His response was a glare in his direction.

When the final bell rang, all the boys congregated in the changeroom to get undressed. As he had done for the whole week, Mike didn't make any move to talk to Troy; even though he had handled their last encounter well, he still preferred to have as little interaction as possible with him.

Unfortunately, it was hard to ignore someone when they spoke directly to you. "Wheeler," he spat out, standing in the center of the changeroom.

Mike turned around, just as he finished tightening the belt on his jeans. He was still naked from the waist up, and looking at Troy's muscled chest made him feel skinny and weak again. "What?" he asked, his voice dripped with distaste.

"You were looking kinda out of breath back there," he jibed. "Maybe you should go run with the girls?"

Mike exhaled. "I don't understand your beef with girls, Troy," he said, his hand stroking his chin, in mock-thought. "Oh, could it be because one broke your fucking arm in grade seven?"

Troy closed the gap in between them and pushed Mike against the locker, pinning him there by his shoulders. "I don't get what that has to do with being able to run like a man," he spat in his face.

"Your stupid friends dropped out two rounds before I did," Mike shot back. "Maybe talk to them if you wanna talk about running like a girl."

"Fair point," he said smugly, finally loosening his hold on him, taking a small step back. He gestured to them. "The only difference is, my friends aren't faggots, like you."

Mike heard the door close and he looked behind him just in time to see the last person leave the changeroom, leaving just him and Troy and his three friends. His heartbeat started to speed up. He pulled his shirt over his head and walked toward the door. Placing his hand on the handle, he looked over his shoulder.

"I'd love to stay and talk with you dipshits," he scowled, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. "But I've got to go." He closed the door and walked out.

James strode to the door, his blood pounding in his ears. "That little shit-" An arm shot out from beside him pressed against his chest, stopping him in his tracks. James looked beside him and saw that the arm was Troy's, of all people. "What the fuck are you doing, man? We have to straighten him the fuck out!"

"No," Troy muttered quietly. "Not yet."

"Why the fuck not?" he steamed. "He can't just talk shit like that!"

"Remember the last time we crossed him, in grade seven?" he said angrily, through clenched teeth. "My arm was in a cast for ages."

"Wait," Ron said, looking at Troy in incredulity. "He was serious?"

"Yeah," Troy snapped bitterly. Daniel and Ron looked at each other, looking unsure.

"Troy, are you-" Before Ron Daniel could finish his sentence, his collar was being yanked and he was face to face with Troy. Spittle was collecting in the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were flaming with rage.

"Look, shithead," he growled. "I know you want to beat the shit out of that twerp as much as I want. But he's friends with this psycho bitch who fucking broke my arm with her… her goddam mind or some shit."

"Troy, are you crazy?" Ron questioned. "Quit talking out of your ass."

"He's not," James said. "I was there when it fucking happened."

The other two boys feel quiet. Troy sighed and let go of Daniel's shirt. "Look," he whispered. "Until we know that whore is gone, then I'm not laying a finger on him, 'cause she could have snapped my neck just as easily as she did my arm all that time ago. When we know she's gone, then we can handle him. But not yet. You dickheads understand that?"

Troy looked around at his friends, but Daniel and Ron were still looking at him like he had two heads. He had had enough. "Is there something you fucks want to say to me?" he yelled at them.

They stepped backward, startled by his shift in demeanor. "N-no, man, we're just, uh… are you sure, man?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" he roared. "I know what happened that day, okay? My arm got busted the fuck up and the bone was almost poking out of my goddam skin."

Their faces all contorted in disgust. "Look," Troy said quietly, returning back to his hushed tone. "At the end of the day, I don't give a shit if you guys believe me or not. But we all want to crunch Mike and his faggot friends, and I'm telling you that if you want to that, we have to wait. Are you with me or not?"

Ron and Daniel looked at one another. "Y-yeah, we're with you."

"Good."

Mike got home and let his schoolbag slump off his shoulder and hit the floor of his room. He flopped onto his bed and didn't even bother taking off his school clothes, despite how much his mom badgered him about not getting the sheets dirty. Thank God it was the weekend.

From the academic aspect of things, he was doing fine. Currently, schoolwork was not stressing him at all. There was definitely more homework to handle, more than middle school, but nothing that he couldn't handle. It was more so the social side of things that made him anxious. He was thankful that at lunch he had the Party to hang out with. Troy had yet to approach them during the break, so that was a good side. But walking into gym class every day was enough stress to compensate for the lack of it during the rest of the day.

He was just waiting for the day when he was going to get punched right in the stomach in front of everyone in the class, and not being able to do anything about it because of how much stronger Troy was than him. Rolling over on his bed, he became aware of how uncomfortable his jeans were.

After sliding out of his clothes, he went to his bedroom mirror and looked at himself. He stared at his bony frame and sighed. Mike never considered himself to be ashamed of his body, but now that he had spent the last week surrounded by kids who were so big (and some of the seniors looked like straight-up men), it had made him feel so small and weak. And even some of the freshmen in his classes looked pretty strong. Meanwhile, he looked like a pasty pile of sticks. It made him upset, because he never really felt that way up until now. If Troy ever decided to kick him for shits, he would probably be powerless.

"Maybe I should start working out or something," he muttered to himself, throwing on a baggy _Star Wars _hoodie and sweatpants.

He pondered the concept of working out and tried to imagine himself lifting dumbbells in his basement or something and shook his head. If he was honest with himself, it sounded like hell. But it probably wouldn't harm if he got more exercise. He had enjoyed himself when he was running today in gym class; maybe he could go out jog every so often. The cardio would do him good.

The thought of having a more toned body for El entered his mind. He imagined her on top of him, kissing him, her hands tracing loving lines over his muscled chest and his heart started to thud faster. Maybe one or two of the Party members would be interested in doing some stuff along the lines of personal fitness.

He unpacked his bag and remembered that he had a bit of homework to take care of. He'd think about when his responsibilities were taken care of.

"So, how was your first week of high school, baby?" Will looked up from his plate of chicken and rice. His Mom was staring at him, a curious smile on her face.

"It was good," he replied honestly. "I'm really enjoying my art class. My teacher, Mr. Gatelli seems really talented at what he does. And everyone else in the class actually likes art, so I don't feel like I stick out or anything like that."

"That's good. What about your other classes?"

Will nodded. "They're going good. I already told you that Mike is in my math class, so that's good."

"What's your timetable, again, sweetie? I keep forgetting,"

Will put down his fork and thought for a second. It wasn't hard remembering where to go in school, but with only one week under his belt, he still found it hard to recite his schedule in order in person. "Math, geography, science, and art."

She nodded her head. "Right," she said. "It'll take me a while for me to get that stuck in my head. Your mom is getting old," she laughed.

Will smiled. "That's okay," he chuckled.

El, who had been listening to this conversation, smiled to herself. She had been aware of the fact that the upcoming move had been a huge source of stress within the household, and had been quite a strain on the family dynamic of things. But within the last few weeks, it had seemed as though perhaps Will and Jonathan had come to terms with it.

She remembered that back when she had first been told about the move, and even before that, she had noticed that things were uneasy between Will and Jonathan and Joyce. Things were finally repaired.

After finishing her plate, she thanked Joyce for the meal and rinsed her plate off in the

sink before putting it in the dishwasher. She still had some responsibilities to take care of before her day was over, so she figured that she would take care of that before setting down for the evening.

Joyce had set aside some work for her to do; she had been spending the last week teaching herself the standard grade eight geography curriculum, which was simple enough; it was mostly just learning which states were which and what the capital of each state was. It was just memorization, basically, which was something that she found herself to be quite good at.

As soon as she sent down at her bedroom desk the Supercom under her bed crackled to life and a voice came through. "El, are you there? It's Mike."

El's heart fluttered and she jumped out of her chair to grab the device. "Hi," she said happily once she had picked it up. "I'm here, Mike."

"How was your day?" he asked.

El lay on her bed and idly fiddled with her hair (something that she often did when she

spoke with Mike). "Okay. It gets kind of lonely here though, sometimes, with Will at school and Jonathan and Joyce at work. I'm here all by myself a lot." She didn't mean to make the sentence sound so flirty, but half through speaking it occurred to her that if Mike ever skipped class and came over, they could have _hours _to themselves.

"You're all by yourself? The whole day?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she murmured softly. "Sometimes I wish that you were able to just come over and not go to school…" El knew that she was teasing him, and it was sort of driving him crazy if he was honest.

"Maybe I can skip one day," Mike suggested, his tone lascivious.

"I wish I was with you," El whispered. "I want to kiss you. Badly."

Mike hummed. "Me too," he replied. "How about I finish up all my homework tonight, and then tomorrow we can hang out? Just the two of us."

El sighed happily. "I'd like that. I just have to ask Joyce," she answered. "I'll let you know tomorrow. I have some work to do on geography and stuff."

"Okay. Let me know tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay. Goodnight, Mike."

"'Night, El."

It was only a little bit after ten o'clock in the morning that Mike awoke to the sound of El excitedly speaking through the Supercom on his bedside table. "Mike, are you awake? Mike, come in."

Mike threw the sheets of his body urgently and his hand flew to the device beside him. "El, I'm awake. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," she giggled. "I talked to Joyce. She said you're able to come over if you want. Are you able to?"

Mike was already stripping off his pajamas to shower. "Yeah, of course I can," he answered. "I just gotta shower and eat breakfast and stuff. I can be there in an hour, is that okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'll be ready. Over and out."

"Over and out." El flicked off the Supercom in her hand and looked around her room, and instantly felt herself becoming more nervous. This was going to be the first time that she and Mike would be hanging out together since her talk with Max. And part of her felt obliged to put some of her newfound knowledge to good use. But of course, she was nervous as all hell. What if she went to do something and just ended up making Mike feel uncomfortable? She knew that Max told her that he probably wouldn't feel that way, but she still didn't want to make any stupid decisions.

She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that it wouldn't hurt to maybe look a little bit nicer. Joyce had recently bought her a small makeup set and had shown her how to do a couple of things with it (she had never known before; it wasn't like Hopper was going to teach her). It wouldn't hurt to maybe apply some lip gloss and lipstick, right? Maybe rub a brush through her hair, too?

After fixing herself a proper breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast (Hopper had taught her how to prepare eggs in a lot of different ways to prepare eggs), she made a pit stop at the bathroom to make herself look a little bit more… what would she describe it as?

Sexy?

EL smiled at herself. She had chosen to call Mike at ten o'clock in the morning on purpose; she had actually lied to him when she told him that Joyce said okay to the visit. In truth, she was told by her to wait until she got home from her morning errands, but she _really _wanted to have just an hour to herself with just Mike.

Which was good, because then she wouldn't have to get hounded by anyone (except for maybe Will) as to why she had dressed herself up a little bit. She had also thrown on a shirt that she had picked up at Starcourt according to Max's advice which showed a little bit more skin than average in the belly area. At the time, she had never really understood why Max had been so persistent about getting it; she had merely said, "come on, El! You'd look so hot!"

Now she knew what she meant.

Will was still in his bedroom, and El didn't really feel like answering any pesky questions from her adoptive brother, so she locked herself in her bedroom and occupied herself with her book, _Little House on the Prairie_. It was a book that Joyce had recommended to her for improving her literacy skills.

She glanced at the clock. Fifteen more minutes.

Mike knocked on the door of the Byers home. He glanced around, confused as to why Joyce's car wasn't parked in the driveway. El had told him that Joyce had allowed him to come over, but usually, she was around. And he wasn't sure how comfortable she was with him and El being in the whole house with no adults.

He knew that Hopper wouldn't be caught dead letting that happen, but in the past, Joyce had proven herself to be a little bit more relaxed when it came to this stuff. Either way, it meant he'd get some alone time with the most beautiful girl in the world, so he wasn't complaining.

As soon as he knocked on the door, he heard from the house El call "I'll get it!" followed by Will saying "okay," and then the door was opened and she was standing right there.

And she looked _stunning. _

It wasn't like she incredibly dressed up like some model or something; nothing about her appearance seemed over the top to him, but it was obvious that she had wanted to look good for him. She was wearing a pair of jeans that was just a tiny bit tighter than pairs he had seen her wearing in the past, and he noticed how it accentuated her legs in a way that made him want to melt.

The shirt she was wearing, which he was willing to bet was purchased at Starcourt in the beginning of summer, was a little bit more revealing than her others; it was exposing a sliver of skin between the waist of her pants and the hem of her shirt, and that was the place that his eyes advertently fell on when she first opened the door, if he was being one-hundred percent truthful.

But her face was something else entirely. It looked kind of similar to the look she had had back at Starcourt when he had spent that entire afternoon searching for an apology gift. He remembered seeing her and Max come out of the mall when him and Lucas and Will were still at the bike racks, and then seeing her hair. Though he had never said it in the moment because he didn't want to give Max any satisfaction, her had fucking loved the way her hair looked.

And right now, it was looking kind of similar to that, and he felt as if he was going to start drooling for a moment. He could tell that she had applied a layer of lipstick on, and perhaps lip gloss, too; it was nothing over the top, but it made him want to kiss her even more.

"El, you look…" he trailed off. "You look so beautiful."

_Thank God. _El had been a little bit more nervous than she would have cared to admit

when she had opened the door, but clearly the extra effort she had put into her appearance had caused the desired effect. "Thank you," she said, smiling wide. She stepped backward to give him room to step into the house.

He kicked off his shoes and closed the door behind him. "Where's Joyce?" he asked.

"She's doing some grocery shopping," she answered. "She'll be back in an hour, I think."

"She was okay with me coming over when she wasn't around?" he questioned quizzically.

Well, she would have to tell him at some point. "Um," she began. "She did say it was

okay for you to come. But she wanted me to wait until she was home. I didn't."

Mike looked at her, a smirk toying at his mouth. "Really?" he asked, his tone playful.

"Mm-hm," she replied, playing along with him, getting a little bit closer. They were still in the living room, but she really didn't care. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down to her, but still had to get up on her toes to kiss him.

El hadn't kissed him in days and doing it now was like medicine. She allowed the intensity to build for a couple of moments before letting go and taking him by the hand. "Do you want to go to my room?"

"Yes," he replied quickly.

Without words, El led him to her bedroom and then closed the door. Before she could even do anything, Will's voice was calling from his room. "Mike, is that you?"

"Yeah," he called back. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Don't be too loud, okay?" he teased.

Mike turned red. "Okay." He looked back at El. "Did he know I was coming?" he asked.

"Yes, but not at this time. He won't tell Joyce," she replied. "Stop talking so much," he whispered quietly, and reached up to kiss him again. It was gentle and calm and loving. Mike brought his hand and tangled into El's wavy hair and ran his fingers through it. It felt wonderful in between his fingers.

"I love your hair," he said softly against her lips, before kissing them again.

"I wanted to look nice for you," she replied equally as quiet.

"Well, you do," he said, gently pushing her backward toward the bed in the center of the room. "You always look so fucking hot." El felt chills when she heard him say that. He had practically growled at her, and she could feel anticipation and hunger building inside her already. Her calves connected with the bed frame and she lay back slowly, still being supported by Mike's arms around her shoulders. He crawled on top of her and continued to kiss her, and took position in such a way that their hips aligned.

El was aware of this, and she spread her legs apart a little bit farther to allow Mike to get even closer to her. He had dressed casually, so he was only wearing sweatpants. She could feel his dick spearing into her through her thin pair of jeans, and she moaned in response. She bucked her hips upward to meet his manhood. The sensation of him rubbing over her clit, even through over four layers of clothing, the sensation of it was too much for her to stay quiet. Letting go of the heating kiss they were sharing, she threw her head back and groaned out loud.

"Mike, harder," she whispered, her voice desperate. "Please."

Mike was too in-the-moment to question anything that she was saying. The sound of El begging him to go "harder" was too much for him to think straight. He took advantage of the fact that her neck was now exposed and attacked it with lust. He spared no effort, and did what he could only describe as ravishing. It started on the front of her neck, right on her throat. He sucked the skin hard. But he knew that he couldn't afford to leave a hickey right there, so after a couple moments, he moved to the side of her neck just below her ear and began suckling it, alternating between strokes of his tongue and kisses.

"Fuck, Mike," she moaned. _Damn. _Hearing her curse like that was so sexy. His dick might have just gotten harder, if that was possible.

Mike dragged his fingers across the stripe of skin between her shirt and jeans, and tugged the clothing upward to reveal more of her stomach. He paused his work on her neck to move down to just above her belly button and continued doing the same thing.

El gasped; Mike had never gone below her tits before, and the sensation of his mouth being on her stomach. It made her wonder what it would be like for his mouth to be right on her vagina, but she shoved that thought aside for the moment. She wasn't going to push Mike into anything without him doing it first.

Mike eased his way up her torse, slowly pulling her shirt up until he reached her bra. It wasn't anything extravagant; El didn't have any fancy undergarments, though she was aware they existed. Perhaps she would think about getting some nicer things later down the road, for when her and Mike got even _more_ physical. She always wanted to make sure she looked the best for her boyfriend. However, actually getting some would probably be a mission to go on with Max someday.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Mike pulled her bra up and latched onto her right nipple, and she hissed out loud. She quickly rolled up on one of her shoulders and undid the latch on her back and tossed the article aside, letting it fall unceremoniously on the floor by her bed. One of her hands kneaded his hair while the other reached over his back and started to pull his shirt upward. He sat up to allow it to come off fully, and then they were both shirtless and back to making out again.

El pulled him up to her face away from her tits and kissed him hard on the mouth,

promptly shoving her tongue in between his lips where it was welcomed eagerly by Mike's. After a couple moments, without breaking contact, she pushed him upward gently by his shoulders and allowed herself to get on top of him. She straddled him at the hips, and reciprocated the earlier actions of Mike by sucking on the side of his neck, but made sure to switch locations frequently to avoid any unwanted 'gifts.'

Her heart started to pound in her chest as she realized what might be coming next. The whole reason (well, maybe not the _whole _reason) for her inviting Mike over and having him in the house when Joyce was gone, was to try to advance the physical side of their relationship in the way that her and Max had talked about. _Just let it be natural._

She traced a delicate line from his neck to his chest with her lips, still kissing and sucking and licking. When she got to the midpoint of his torso, she dipped her fingers into the waistband of his sweatpants and started to slide them down.

Mike's hands shot out and grabbed the hand that was at his pants. "Whoa, wait," he whispered. "El, are you… do you… are you sure about-"

He was interrupted by El kissing him once again. "Shh," she shushed. "I know what I'm doing. I'm sure."

Mike opened his mouth to protest, but El cut him off. "Do you want this?" she asked, feeling impatient. She had built this moment up and didn't want to be taken out of the moment.

He hesitated. "Well, um… if you're okay with it, then yeah, I… yeah."

"Okay," she answered, and reached across the bed to her night table and clicked the lamp off. The curtains were already drawn, so now the room was dark. "Just relax," she instructed.

Mike's heart was pounding. This was the last thing he had been expecting to happen when he came here in the first place, but he wasn't going to complain. Although, he had a feeling about what Max and El had talked about during that one afternoon when they had hung out. He didn't want to look down because he didn't want to make El feel uncomfortable, but as she moved his pants further down his legs, he was finding it harder and harder to resist the urge. His heart skipped a beat when he realized that he hadn't done anything to prepare; he hadn't cut his pubes or anything, and if he had known she was going to have her face in his groin he would have put on some kind of cologne, or something beyond just a regular shower. _Well, it's not like it's a jungle down there. _

El held her breath as she pulled off the final layer of clothing; even before taking off his pants, she had noticed that huge tent in his pants that his penis had been creating. When it came off, his dick sprang back once it had been released by his boxers and she looked at it.

It wasn't quite what she had been expecting, but if she was honest, she didn't really know what she had been expecting. She wrapped her fingers around the base of it and Mike grunted. "Mike? Are you-"

"I'm fine," he croaked. "It just- feels really good, El. Keep going, _please_," he asked, nearly a beg. El smiled, happy that she was having the desired outcome. She shifted her body lower down so she was right in between his spread legs.

The wheels in El's brain were turning furiously, trying to figure out what she should do first. She recalled Max telling her that a mix of licking, kissing and sucking was the best thing to go with, rather than focusing on one above the others. She gazed up at Mike's face and saw that his eyes were angled at the ceiling and squeezed shut.

Taking a nervous (but somehow at the same time excited) breath, she leaned down and planted a kiss on the tip of his dick, to which Mike replied with a groan. It appeared as though she'd be able to evaluate how he felt based on the sounds he was making. She pumped him a couple more times before lifting his dick up and licking along the underside of it, making sure to take as much agonizing time as possible. There wasn't any harm in teasing him a little, right?

"Fuck, El," he moaned. "Fuck…" After a few more purposefully long licks from bottom to top and to bottom, she took him into her mouth, about an inch of the way. She estimated that his dick was between six and seven inches, which made her think about what sex would be like, but that would be a bridge to cross later.

She bobbed lower, taking in more this time. "Oh, my god, El," he groaned. He was in complete ecstasy. This was easily the best thing he had ever experienced in his life; it would be the first thing he would think of in the future whenever he jerked off in the future. He thanked God that he jerked off already yesterday, because if he hadn't, he was positive that he already would have finished. The feeling of the most gorgeous girl in the world having her lips sealed around his cock was like a drug.

El breathed through her nose, continuing to bob up and down on his dick with her mouth, keeping her lips wrapped tightly around it. It was an odd sensation, to have something so big in her mouth that wasn't food. But the sounds coming from Mike was enough to make her completely forget about the soreness in her jaw that was slowly building up.

Mike chanced a look downward, and for a moment, gazed at El. Her left hand was resting on his thigh, and her right hand was tightly wrapped around the base of his dick. She was still moving her head up and down rhythmically, and her hand followed her mouth too, like she was jerking him off and sucking him off at the same time. Out of instinct, he reached down and rested one of his hands on the back of her head, guiding her movements, but never forcing them.

The feeling of Mike's hand on the back of her head made El feel even more appreciated. The vocalizations coming from him spurred her onward. His breathing grew shallow. "El, I'm almost there," he whispered, weaving his fingers further into her hair.

He was going to finish? What did that- _oh_. It occurred to her that she probably should have asked Max about that when they were hanging out the other day.

She increased her speed, and it sounded like Mike was about to explode. "Ah- fuck- El, shit, I'm gonna-"

El quickly removed her mouth and pumped him faster, her grip lose enough to let her hand glide over it, but tight enough to provide just the right amount of pressure. In the nick of time after she came up, jets of semen shot from his dick and fell on her hand and his pelvis. A few more jets shot out before his breathing finally normalized. He let out a final exhale and looked at her awkwardly.

"Do you, um… have any tissues in here?" he asked.

Oh," she replied, suddenly feeling bad for the fact that she had left a mess all over him. "Yeah, right here," she said, and reached to the bedside table and handed Mike a box of Kleenex. He wiped up his stomach and El wiped her hand off, looking at him expectantly.

Once Mike had finished cleaning himself up, he looked at her with nothing but adoration in his eyes. "El, that was… that was the greatest thing ever. I-I don't even know what to say."

El felt a burst of relief and happiness and gratitude. After everything Mike had done for her, she was finally able to repay him. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy doing it. "Good," she replied, smiling widely.

Mike's expression changed. "Lie down," he instructed.

She did. "What do you want to do?" she asked.

"I'm gonna thank you," he replied in a dominant tone, moving his hands toward her pants.

"Wait," she said suddenly, pulling away from him suddenly.

Mike looked concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking sort of hurt.

"Joyce is going to be home soon," she answered, sadly. "You aren't supposed to be here, I… I don't want you getting in trouble."

"It'll be quick, El, please-"

"No," she interrupted firmly. She took his hand in hers. "I want it, but… I don't want anything to happen. We'll have more chances, right?"

Mike looked at the window. "Are you sure she's gonna be home soon? Like, _sure, _sure?"

She nodded. "It's okay. You've already done so much for me, I just wanted to do something for you for once. Another time."

Mike looked at her. "Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

**Alright, guys! That's chapter 34! I'll see you guys soon, and as always be sure to leave a review! i'll answer all of them :D**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey guys! Welcome back... I have huge chapter for you today... 7,347 words without my talking. I didn't mean for it to be so long, but... there was a lot of stuff that I wanted to cover. This chapter is essentially bridging the gap between the start of school and the move; I imagine next chapter will be the Byers finally moving away to their home. I'm looking forward to writing that chapter! Hopefully you guys are, too. Enjoy :) **

**Jane Eleanor Wheeler: Thanks! I hope you like this one, too :)**

**Shrike176: Thank you! I do plan on touching on Mike's self-confidence issues in the near future. Probably soon after I get the move out of the way. Things might also start to heat up at school... you will have to see, haha. Although, El's powers are gone, so it would be difficult for her to get back at Troy if he did anything. So many questions! **

**Guest: I've actually been thinking about the idea of throwing some Hopper into this story... I'm kind of holding off right now because I don't want anything to detract from the things going on in Hawkins, which was always supposed to be the main focus of this fic. However, exploring things in Kamchatka could be fun. I might do it at some point.**

**Jbg: No worries... ever since I got a little bit worried about my story not getting very much attention, I started looking at my views, and realized that I have over 300 regular readers... so don't worry guys, I got you 3 Don't feel bad about not leaving a review. But it's good to hear that you're liking the story! If you liked the last one, I think that you'll love this one.**

**Luna0603: The idea of fitting into highschool was always something that I related to. When I got in, I felt like I was being challenged and belonged. I figured the Party would be the same; they're all really smart kids. Interesting ideas about how things with Troy will go over... Mike and the rest of the Party would definitely have a fighting chance against Troy alone, but with his friends it would he harder. I can assure you that the Troy vs Mike conflict will grow in the coming chapters, so be on the lookout for that. I'm glad that you enjoyed how Mike and El are moving up in terms of the physicality of their relationship. Mileven is such a fain pairing to write... I started out this story with the idea of focusing on everyone, but I feel like this has become a Mileven story, haha. Oh well. I don't mind it XD In response to Mike's issues with his body, this will also come into play later. You're right about how sometimes it's never discussed with dudes as much as it is girls; I think both genders are susceptible to it. Enjoy this chapter 3**

**Andy: Thanks! Glad you liked it. Let me know what you think of this one!**

"I just don't get it," Lucas said as he sat down at the lunch table with the rest of the Party. "They haven't even looked in our direction since school started."

The group of teens glanced across the cafeteria to stare at Troy and his goons, who were stationed at a circular table in the far corner of the large room.

"Speak for yourself," Mike muttered. "I have to deal with him running his mouth every day in the changeroom."

"At least so far he's just been all talk," Max replied with a confident grin. "Like I told you guys. All you had to do was stick up for yourself."

Mike shrugged and picked at the food in his thermos. "I don't know. I always feel like him and those four douches are plotting something behind my back. Either that, or they'll only leaving us alone 'cause they're afraid of what El might do to them."

The group snickered. "I mean, it's not like El is even an issue with them, though," Dustin pointed out. "Since her powers, you know…" He trailed off. The subject of El losing her abilities on that day had been an odd subject to talk about in the Party since it happened.

"Mike doesn't need El to fight his battles," Max chipped in. "I've seen Troy try to talk shit to him a few times. He's handling it fine."

Mike eyebrows shot up in surprise. He was far from used to being the recipient of any kind of praise from Max. Lord knew they had never been the perfect example of a mutually respectful friendship; but maybe that was finally starting to change. Which certainly was not a bad thing; it wouldn't be terrible to have some on some level ground with his girlfriend's best friend.

"Thanks, Max," he said, an awkward but appreciative expression on his face. They continued to eat quietly. The second week of high school had just started, and there were still a lot of new things happening. Teachers were giving new information constantly, and it seemed like every day they were just reminded of the fact that they were freshmen; although, they might as well have been aliens on a foreign planet. On top of that, it felt like the older kids were always eyeing them down, as if trying to determine if they were worthy of recognition or something.

It was all very strange.

But all things considered, things were going well. None of them had had any problems with other students, besides Mike with Troy occasionally. But it was like Nancy had said; people all had their own shit to deal with. It didn't seem like anybody was out to get them. At least not yet.

In addition to all the new things that were happening in school, the Byers' move was coming up. Will had been a little bit quieter than normal, but Mike had a feeling that he was the only one that had noticed. Unless El as well, which was somewhat likely. He was aware that the two of them had gotten a lot closer since Joyce took her in. He was happy because of that. El had been a huge source of tension between him and Will, and now, everything seemed to be going fine (even more than fine) now.

Will sat down in his third-period class with an exasperated huff. He crossed his arms and watched as his teacher sorted some papers on his desk as he waited for the rest of the students to file into the room. His gaze fell outside the side window of his classroom, and he watched a bird fly from above and land in a nest. In its _home._

Even nature was reminding him of the fact that he was going to be ripped from his home soon.

He thought that he had come to terms with them moving, but as the day fast approached, he found himself resenting things once again. Perhaps he was just moody. Maybe it would pass. Hopefully, it would pass. But right now, it wasn't making focusing on science any easier.

The rest of his afternoon droned on, and two and a half agonizing hours later, he was finding himself walking home. He came through the front door of his house after unlocking it and dropped his bag where he stood in the shoe area. When he got into the living room, he was already collapsing on the sofa.

El looked up from her geography textbook and stared at him from her seat in the kitchen. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he sighed. "I'm just… tired or something, I guess."

She squinted her eyes at him from across the room. Clearly something was up. But she didn't know if it was a better idea to press the issue, or leave him to himself. Even only after living with him for a few months, she knew better than most people that Will was a very quiet and reserved person, and sometimes it was better to just let him be when he had a problem.

Nonetheless, she felt the urge to intrude. She closed her textbook and walked into the living room and sat on the other chair in the room. "Friends don't lie," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but siblings do," he said, a joking half-smile playing at his lips as he looked at her sideways.

El rolled her eyes but still chuckled. "We're still friends," she pointed out. "We just happen to be… adoptive siblings." It took her a moment to recall the term used to describe her relationship with Will in proper terms.

"Okay, alright," Will relented. "I've just been thinking about the move, lately. It's stressing me out."

El nodded. She immediately was able to relate. For a while, the move had not been on the forefront of her mind; but Joyce had recently started packing things in boxes, and seeing a bunch of items from the house being prepared to go was sort of depressing.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it, too," she agreed. "But a lot more recently."

Will nodded. "I thought that I had come to terms with it, but… I guess not."

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Will spoke again. "It's not like I'm mad at Mom or anything. I understand why we have to do this. But I still don't like it," he said. "I don't like any of this shit. It seems like… ever since all that stuff happened last November, it just… will things ever go back to normal?" he asked her, but at this point, he was more talking to himself. "The whole reason why we're leaving is to get away from all this shit and this stupid town… sometimes I think about what it would have been like if nothing had ever happened."

El had listened carefully to what he had said. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I don't know what it was like before. I was still in the…"

"I know, I know," Will cut her off hurriedly. The lab was a sensitive subject for her, even now. The Party always tried their hardest to not bring it up in conversation.

"What was it like?" she asked.

Will furrowed his brow. "What?"

"Before I met you guys… what was it like?"

"Oh," he said, surprised. "Um… I don't know. It was just us four, really. We all just hung out, the four of us. Played D and D, did stuff outside, just… random stuff together. It was a lot simpler back then," he answered. "It was fun."

El looked saddened. "Sometimes I think that this was all my fault," she said quietly.

"What?! How?" Will exclaimed.

"I don't know," she answered softly. "I opened the gate, you got stuck in the Upside-Down, and all the other stuff that happened after was because of that…"

"El, you can't do that to yourself. This wasn't your fault, okay? Shit happens all the time, this isn't on you. Everyone else would tell you the same thing. Understand?"

"But-"

"No, stop talking," Will interrupted again. He sat up from where he was sitting and walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "El, all this shit that happened… it's not on you. Okay? You can't beat yourself up over shit like this."

El stared at him, her eyes watering. "O-okay," she finally whispered.

Will nodded. "Maybe talk to Mike or something," he suggested. "If you're stressed about the move, or if… I don't know. Lord knows that always helps," he threw in a joke for good measure. El offered him a smile.

"Okay, maybe I will later," she replied. "I think I'm just going to hang out in my room for a little bit right now."

"Okay, I'll be in the kitchen. Want anything?"

"No, thank you."

* * *

Troy took a long drag from his cigarette before passing it over to James. He coughed once into his shoulder, attempting to not look like too much of a wuss in front of his pals. James passed it over to Daniel, but before he put in his mouth, he looked toward Troy.

"So… could you tell us again what happened with that girl who's friends with Mike?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Look, man, I already told you what happened. James and I were about to smoke the little faggots, but she came out of nowhere and flicked her head, and next thing I know my arm's bent backward. See this?" He straightened his arm out in front of him. "You know how it's only supposed to bend this way?" He moved his forearm up and down. "It went the fucking other way, alright? Never felt more pain in my fucking life. Pass the damn cigarette." He snatched it from Daniel and put it back in his mouth and took a long pull.

"Bone almost poked out of the skin," he muttered under his breath.

The two boys looked at one another. "And… tell us your plan again?"

"Jesus fuck, man," Troy snapped. "Why do I have to repeat everything I say three fucking times?"

Neither of them offered an answer. Troy rolled his eyes. "Okay. We're going to figure out what these guys' routines are. Pay attention to who they're with, what they're doing... we need to be careful. If the girl is still friends with them, she'd probably kill us. We need to know for sure if she's still in the picture or not. If she isn't, then we can catch them. If not, then… well, I guess we'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

"And you're sure she had… powers? Like with her brain and stuff?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah," James replied. "For real, man. I saw it, too." He paused. "Do you think she still has them? The powers and shit?"

Troy shrugged. "Fuck if I know. But if she doesn't, then…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

"Then what?" James asked, an unsure and, perhaps even scared, look on his face.

Troy ran his hands through his untamed hair. "Then, fuck, man… I don't even know what I'd do to her. I'd… I'd fuck her up."

"What?" Ron exclaimed, shocked. "Dude, she's a girl."

"I don't give a shit," he spat, ashing his cigarette on the tree they were standing under. "I couldn't move my arm for months. I don't care what's between her legs. All I care about is the whipping back of my hand across her face. She has to pay."

* * *

It was a quarter after six in the evening, and Mike was still furiously writing out notes from his math textbook into his binder. The first week had clearly not been a true representation of what the high school experience was. After his first day, he had a boatload of math homework to take care of, as well as some English homework. He had been working on math since he had gotten home a little bit after three o'clock, and it had been almost three hours since he had started.

His mom would be calling him down for dinner pretty soon though, so at least he would get a break. He let out a frustrated groan as the graphite on the pencil that he was using broke. He paused his work to evaluate what he had already written on his page.

The teacher, whose name he had already forgotten, had assigned half a chapter of them to read for tomorrow's lesson. However, Mike being Mike, simply reading through it wasn't enough. If he was going to ace this course, like he wanted to do with all the courses he would take in school, he would have to go above and beyond what was expected of him. So for that reason, he had been working on math for longer then he was willing to bet most of the other students had.

Oh, well. That was fine. At least it was giving him something to keep his mind off of the certain event that was drawing nearer and nearer with each passing day. The event that he never wanted to think about. But he did, somehow. All the time.

The move.

As if on queue, the Supercom beside him buzzed to life. "Mike? Do you copy?"

He picked it up in a flash and extended the antenna. "I copy. Hi, El," he replied.

Mike heard her sigh happily. "Hi," she greeted. "Are you busy?"

Mike glanced at his messy notes and decided that his hard work was deserving of a break. "No, I'm just taking a break from some of my homework," he stated, moving toward his bed to lie down on it, as he usually did when he talked with his girlfriend.

"Do you have a lot of homework?" she asked.

Mike nodded. "Yeah. Last week was really light. I guess they were still getting us into the groove of things. My math and English teachers slammed me today."

"Oh," he answered, a hint of sadness in her voice, which Mike immediately detected.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, I just… do you have time to talk?"

"Yeah, of course," Mike replied eagerly, shifting himself up into a sitting position on his bed. "Screw the homework. You're more important."

"Are you sure? I don't-"

"Yes, I'm sure. Just tell me what you're thinking about," he said.

El exhaled. "I've been thinking about… moving. Again."

"What about it?" he asked.

"I don't know," she sighed. "Everything. Going into a new house. New town. New people. Then I'll have to start going to school. And you won't be there, or Max. Or Dustin or Lucas." She sniffed. "I'm just scared, Mike. I don't know what's going to happen." Before she knew it, a tear was sliding down the side of her face.

"Hey, shh, don't worry about that stuff, okay?" Mike consoled immediately, his voice soft. "You told me already that you're not mad at Joyce anymore, right? She'll help you with everything. And so will Will and Jonathan. It sucks that we won't get to see one another all the time but… we can get through it. Right?"

"I guess…" El mumbled quietly, still trying to suppress her cries, not wanting to attract the attention of anyone else in the house.

"No, El, you need to understand. Okay? Look at what we've been through together. Look at all the things that have happened to us since we met, and we're still together. Right?"

El smiled, wiping her eyes. "Right."

"El, it's just that… when I'm with you, or when I even just think about you, I get this feeling. Even when we had that fight, even when we were broken up, I always know that… that no matter what happened, we would make it through. I know that we can handle anything. You make me stronger. You make me want to get through all those problems, no matter what. And, I swear to God, It's going to take more than a long drive to get in between us. I won't let it. _We _won't let it."

_Oh, my God. _El was speechless. Her heart had been touched. She had never heard anything more meaningful or beautiful ever come out Mike's mouth since she met him. After hours of incessant making out in her room, or watching movies together, or just hanging out, he had never said anything so raw.

So _loving._

"Sorry, that probably sounded really stupid," Mike sighed. "I-"

"No!" El almost yelled into the microphone. "No, that's not it, I… I just don't know what to

say, Mike. That was…" she felt another tear coming down, but not out of sadness. "I've never heard you say anything like that, I-" _I love you. _"Thank you. I get that feeling, too. I know we can get through anything. It will be hard, but… I know we'll be okay."

"I know," he answered. "We still have a few more weeks. We can make the most of our time."

El looked over at her clock. Only a few minutes had passed since she called him. "How much work do you have left?"

Mike flipped through his textbook. "Um… maybe another half hour or so. But I also have English work, and then I gotta do some chores for Mom later. Why?"

She bit her bottom lip. "I… really want to be with you right now, Mike."

The wheels in his head started turning. "Um… would it be alright if I came later? But like, _later, _later? I could sneak out after dark. Like we did in the summer a few times? Is that okay?"

Breaking the rules? Her heart was already thumping from the little adrenaline rush that she would always get when they did something like this. "Yes," she answered. "If we stay quiet."

"Okay, then," he said resolutely. "I'll probably come at like, eleven o'clock."

"Yes," she agreed. "See you at eleven o'clock."

"See you soon, El."

"Bye, Mike."

The reason why El had wanted Mike to come was to be with him, of course. She hadn't lied about that. Right now, all she wanted was to curl up with him under the sheets and just listen to him breathe as he hugged her from behind. She'd be able to smell him, feel him, see him… that was all she wanted.

_However, _if things _were_ to take a more physical turn, she was ready.

El had spoken to Joyce earlier that week about getting a razor to shave, and Joyce hadn't batted an eye. It wasn't like having a razor to properly groom yourself was anything weird. Especially as a woman, because it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that women with hairy legs weren't the most appealing thing in the world, and she knew that.

But El had been sure to keep herself tidy in between her legs, too. Of course, she hadn't told Joyce about that. But once she understood how to do her legs, the skills were pretty much transferable to other places on her body.

And when she had finished, everything was so smooth and soft looking, and she had to admit, even to herself; she looked pretty damn good, and it made her confidence soar. Max had been right. And after dinner, she had had a quick shower just to ensure that she was clean and smelled good, so she was all set for when Mike finally came.

Now all she had to do was wait.

* * *

Mike vividly recalled the last time he and El had hung out, she had ended up giving him head, which he had not prepared for in the slightest. Even though it had been the most blissful and heavenly experience of his life, he felt as though he could have done more to be ready for the experience.

That was why he found himself using a pair of scissors to cut the ends of his pubes off.

He was fourteen; he had started getting hair down there last year, and because he was never sexually active, he never had reason to do anything about it. But now, because of the fact that he and El were moving forward with things physically, he had figured it was probably a good idea to start taking care of himself more.

He didn't own a razor, and he didn't want to ask his Dad how to use _his _razor to shave for two reasons; one, the idea of spending more time with his Dad than was necessary was extremely off-putting; and two, if he asked, they would know something was up because he wasn't growing facial hair yet, and what the hell sort of dude shaves their arms or legs?

Thus, it seemed like using a small pair of scissors, as stupid and weird as it felt, was the best way to make his nether-region look the best that it could. And when his work was done, he thought that it looked a lot better than before. In the back of his head, just out of paranoia, he made a mental note to spray some cologne near his waist. Just to make sure. But he'd do that later.

El was lying in her bed, eyes wide open, at 10:59, when she heard a faint knocking sound at her bedroom window. She whipped her head to the side to see Mike's smiling face staring at her through the glass. She broke into a grin and tiptoed toward him and slid up the window to allow just enough space to him to crawl in.

"Be careful," she whispered.

"I know," he replied, in an equally quiet tone. "Here, I'll close it." Once he stepped in, he turned around and gingerly slid the window back down, leaving it unlocked for when he would leave. As soon as he turned back around, El had wrapped her arms tightly around his torso and was burying her face in his shoulder.

"Thank you for coming," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"You don't have to thank me," he pointed out with a smile. "But you're welcome."

She broke away from him. "Won't you be tired tomorrow? What time do you wake up?"

"Usually around seven-thirty. It's okay. I can be tired for one day," he dismissed. "You're worth it."

El stood on her toes to press a small kiss onto his lips in thanks. "Come here." She pulled him toward her bed and lay down with him, and she lay facing away from him and moved her body as close to his as possible. The comfort of his arms around her torso came a moment after, and she closed her eyes in bliss because she was finally with him. She grabbed one of his hands in hers and exhaled deeply.

"Was it hard sneaking out?" she asked quietly.

"No," he answered. "Everyone's gone to bed. I just sneaked down to the basement and went through the door, no one can hear it open from upstairs."

"That's good," she replied. "Then we can do this more often, then? Before we have to go?"

"I'd like that," he agreed, and squeezed her affectionately.

"It's the beginning of October, right? The first week?" Mike clarified.

"Yeah, sometime that week, Joyce said."

"Mm-hm," Mike hummed in response. "That's okay. I guess we'll just have to make the best of our time together, then," he said. He placed a kiss on the back of El's neck and she shivered, goosebumps going all the way down her back. Something about getting kissed on the neck from behind always drove her crazy. She stretched her arm behind her and her fingers found their home in his hair, and she gently rubbed back and forth, urging him to continue.

"I meant what I said, El," he said softly into her ear. "Earlier."

Mike took a part of her skin into his mouth and sucked it gently, eliciting a pleasureful hum from El. After stroking his tongue a few more times across the skin, El rolled over onto his back in his arms and then they were face to face and she was looking down at him. "I know," she replied. "I did, too."

She wasted no time in moving her head down to meet his lips with hers. They moved together slowly and gently, as El continued to run her fingers back and forth along his head.

_Is it going to happen? _Maybe. She was prepared for it. She wanted it. And she could tell that Mike wanted to do it too, because not long after they started his hand was tracing a line slowly from the side of her face down to the waist of her pajama bottoms. His fingers brushed over the stripe of exposed skin under the hem of her shirt.

The sensation of skin-on-skin contact brought another wave of chills, and she reached down to remove her top. Mike's hands joined hers and she pulled it over her head with crossed arms, and then grabbed his head in her hands and pulled her back down and they resumed kissing.

With caution, Mike's hands wandered down her body until they reached the top of her loose-fitted, cotton pajamas. He broke away from the kiss and looked into her eyes. "Can I?" he asked quietly.

She nodded breathlessly, her pupils dilated and heart pounding. "Yes."

Mike gulped nervously. If he was honest, he had sort of expected this to happen. And even though he knew he was ready to do this, he was still getting a lot of jitters. "Let me know if something is wrong, or if you don't like something, okay?"

El nodded again, pursing her lips tightly. She angled her hips upward to allow her bottoms to get past her butt as they were pulled down. The bed creaked as she did so. "Be careful," she whispered. "We can't wake anyone up."

"I know," he acknowledged. He pulled her pants the rest of the way down and, for the first time, saw her El fully naked. His heart nearly stopped at the sight.

She was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. The skin on her thighs and inner

legs and around her vagina was immaculate; she looked much better than he probably did on the weekend when they last hung out and she gave him a blowjob. Her hair fell beautifully around her exposed shoulders and framed her ample chest. The curves that pronounced her waist and hips were enough to make his mouth hang open in awe. And in the center of it all, her delicate sex lay there, seeming to be waiting for him. He could tell she was already wet; her folds were glistening with her arousal, and it was the sexiest fucking thing he had ever seen.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he murmured. El smiled sheepishly and blushed. Mike didn't wait for her to reply before ripping his shirt off and leaning back into her body and kissing her neck and throat aggressively.

She let a closed-mouth moan, trying to muffle the noise she made. When she felt Mike thrust into her bare pussy with nothing in between except his own pants, she couldn't help but gasp.

"Do you want me too?" he asked, pressing his hips into her again. He kissed her neck while he waited for her to answer.

"Yes," she begged. "Please, Mike, I want you… to eat me out." She remembered the slang term that Max had used during their conversation, but the words felt foreign on her tongue. She hoped that it hadn't sounded weird to him.

Mike turned his attention to her lips when he left her neck. "That was the hottest thing you've ever said," he whispered to her in between kisses. She reciprocated eagerly, using nearly all tongue and nothing else.

He separated from her and lowered his body down to her. Truth be told, he didn't have much of an idea what he was doing, but he decided to go with what his gut told him and he followed his instincts. He wanted to give El the same sort of experience that she had given him. He wasn't going to cut any corners with this.

As he scooted his body down the mattress, he kissed and sucked on her tits. El moaned and rubbed her fingertips through his hair with one hand, and rested her other hand on his shoulder. Mike had learned from past experience that it was a good idea to focus primarily on the nipple because it didn't leave any marks, and it felt the best.

But he'd be damned if El walked away from this without having something to remind her of it. He turned his attention to the inside of her right breast, about an inch away from the nipple and sucked _hard. _

El grunted and her fist closed onto a tuft of his hair, caught off guard by the assault on her skin. She was familiar with the feeling, though. "Are you going to leave a hickey?" she asked her voice sultry.

"Yes," he growled back. "I want you to remember this."

His words turned her on even more. "Good," she replied, her eyes squeezed shut; the intensity and heat of the situation were too overwhelming for her to even think about opening them. After about thirty seconds, he finally let go and looked at the result, which was a mark that was already turning a deep shade of red. Satisfied with his work, he moved lower, leaving kisses and sucks and even gentle nips on her skin. Down her stomach, then past her belly button, then below her waist. When he got below her waistline, El flinched.

"Mike, please," she asked. He smirked; his intention had been to tease her; to wind her up like a clock so when he finally got to his target, it would be the best kind of release for her possible.

"Mm-hm," he hummed dismissively. He crawled backward until he was practically face-to-face with her beautiful pussy. He was pretty sure he had never been so hard in his life; his dick almost hurt from being trapped in his pants. But instead of finally making contact with her beautiful center, he started kissing the insides of her thighs, and the around the sides of her center.

El knew what he was doing, and she hated and loved him for it. She felt like she was going to explode with anticipation and impatience. In an effort to finally get some contact she bucked her hips upward but he moved backward in response. "Mike," she whined. "Ple-"

Her voice was cut off when she felt his warm tongue stroke all the away across her slit, from the very bottom all the way to her clit, and then past it where he pressed a long, wet kiss on her pubis. Caught off guard by the action, she gasped loudly and her body jolted.

Mike shot upward away from her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded rapidly and put her hand on the top of his head and gently pressed it down. "Yes," she whispered urgently. "Just keep going."

Without a response, he resumed what he was doing and lowered his face back into her. He kissed her right in the middle of her pussy, and she let out another content hum. He alternated between pecks and sucks and licks all around her, all while listening to the sounds she was making, trying to gauge what was good and what was not. But he had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him he could be doing more.

The feeling of having his mouth and face buried into her cunt was like having his face buried in heaven; she smelled so good, and it felt so nice on his face; it was so warm and wet. He longed for a chance in the future to be able to finally have sex with her, when he could finally bury his entire dick into her. It was like her pussy was a flower that opened for him, and he loved it.

But he wanted to give her more. Hesitantly, he brought one of his hands down from where it was resting on her stomach toward her vagina. He brushed along it beside his mouth, looking for her opening. When his index finger felt the dip, he gently started to ease it inside.

El grunted loudly and grabbed Mike's other hand in hers and squeezed it hard, but didn't say anything. He took this is a good sign and pressed it in deeper, and he heard her take a sharp intake of breath and held it. He kept going slowly, all while maintaining the pace of his tongue in between her folds. When his finger was fully hilted into her, she let go of her breath and moaned softly, still trying to hold back so as to not wake anyone else in the house.

"Do you like that?" he asked, his voice teasing. It felt dirty for him to be talking during this, but he liked it.

"Yes," she moaned. "Move it. Please." Mike obeyed, and started to slowly pump his index finger in and out of her, keeping a steady pace. He moved higher up with his mouth and sucked, and felt a small nub in between his lips.

"Nhh!" El jumped and her lips parted in a silent scream, completely overwhelmed by the sensation that was flying through her entire body. She shot her hips upward to grind against Mike's face, and he gripped one of her thighs tighter and pressed it into the mattress, holding her down.

_The clitoris_. That's what he had found. Mike smiled to himself. From word of mouth in change rooms and such, he had already had a basic idea of what it was. He knew that it was a huge source of pleasure for women, and he knew that it was apparently hard to find. And that's all he needed to know.

Not holding back, he sucked on her clit as hard as he could and tongued it, brutally attacking it without no holding back.

El was positive that she had never felt anything so amazing in her entire life. Everything that Mike had done with his fingers and with her tits paled in comparison to having his mouth buried in her. That, combined with his finger that was moving in and out of her was proving to be nearly too much.

But she still wanted more.

"Mike… another. Put one more in." He understood what she meant, and, being caught in the moment, jammed his middle finger in along with his pointer and buried them completely. She was so fucking tight.

"Mmm," El groaned, loving the way his fingers stretched her. It hurt a little bit, yet it felt amazing. She didn't protest when he started moving them.

Mike was still abusing her clit with his mouth when he thought he'd try something. He shoved his fingers in as deep as he could, and curled them upward inside her and rubbed his fingertips along her walls, back and forth rapidly.

"Oh, fuck!" she said, not even in a whisper. She caught herself and brought the hand that was currently resting on Mike's head over her mouth, muffling the sound of her increasingly loud vocalizations. She squeezed his hand even harder, to the point where she was concerned that she might have been hurting him, but she was too overwhelmed to even stop. "Mike, I'm- I'm going to- oh, ah- cum!"

She had never said the word before, but she had heard and read it enough to know what it meant. Saying it made her feel naughty. Her body shook, and shocks of euphoria flashed through her body like lightning. It took all of her willpower not to cry out. Her entire body shook for what felt like a minute before the orgasm started to settle. As the waves of pleasure started to die down, she reached down and grabbed Mike's face and pulled it toward her own, kissing him with animal-like aggression. She could feel the wetness from her core on his lips and face as he kissed her back. It was so sexy.

While she was kissing, she opened her eyes and looked at the clock and saw that only twenty minutes had passed. _There's enough time_.

She rolled over so that he was on top of him and quickly yanked his pants down. He was in his pajamas still, so he wasn't wearing any underwear. She was pleasantly surprised when she wrapped her small fingers around the base of his length, she barely felt any hair around it. He had obviously done the same thing she had done in regard to preparation for this night.

El moved down the bed and kneeled between his legs. Without a word, she bent down and immediately took him into her mouth, going as far as she could without feeling uncomfortable. Something about him being more shaven made him appear bigger, and it made her drenched pussy even wetter. She dared to go a little farther down, and she heard Mike grunt as she swirled her tongue around his swollen tip. With as much suction as she could give, she pulled back painfully slowly and released his rock hard dick with a wet pop.

Wanting to give him even more, she bent farther down and gave him a long stroke of her tongue across his balls, still jerking him off. "Fuck, El," he murmured. "That feels so good…"

She took one of his balls and gently sucked on it, being careful to not do it too hard; she was aware that a man's testicles were incredibly sensitive. After a couple of moments, she turned her attention back to his cock. She dragged the tip of her tongue from the base all the way to the tip. She kissed it and then let her lips mold over it, sucking hard, tickling it with her tongue. Then she moved her mouth down and allowed his dick all the way in until she felt her gag reflex stop her.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked when she let out a small cough.

She cleared her throat. "Yeah, sorry," she said, sort of embarrassed.

"We can stop if you-"

"No," she cut him off. Her hand came out from beside her and pushed him away, planting

her palm on his chest. "I'll just need more practice before I can deepthroat you," she added teasingly. Her voice was dripping with lust, and she smirked as she started to jack him off again.

"You want to do this more?"

"Mm-hm," she replied, adjusting herself so that her legs were more spread apart. She made a point to make sure her exposed pussy was as visible as possible to him, and straightened her back to puff out her boobs. Her mind was clouded with hormones, and, to be frank, horniness. "I love sucking your dick, Mike."

Her words weren't filtered at all; if she hadn't had the most earth-shattering orgasm only a couple minutes prior, she would have been worried about embarrassing herself or sounding weird to Mike. But she was feeling wild.

Mike's heart leaped. Was El… dirty-talking him? "Good," he heard himself saying. "'Cause I love eating you out, too. Your pussy tastes so good."

El's core throbbed. "I want to do everything with you," she said, her voice dripping with lust. "One day." She punctuated her statement by lowering herself back down and letting his penis back into her tiny mouth. Her jaw was getting sore but she didn't care. _No teeth, _Max's voice echoed in her mind.

The pace of her bobs quickened, and she found herself going up and down on his dick as fast as she could, determined to make him finish. This time she wanted him to cum in her mouth.

"Fuck, El, I'm- almost there, keep going," he gasped. He looked down at her, and saw her exquisite body bent over, frenetically bouncing her head up and down with her perfect lips squeezed tightly around his member, sighing and moaning as she did so. With each oscillation of her body, her tits swayed a little bit, her engorged nipples clearly visible, as well as the dark bruise he had left from earlier.

That was enough for him.

"Ah, shit! El!" his dick throbbed and then he was ejaculating. He was caught off guard when El kept her mouth on his penis as he shot his load.

The abruptness of it was the most startling part. She felt a rope of semen shoot out of his

dick; she could feel it pulsing between her lips as it happened. It hit the back of her throat, followed by another, and another smaller one that didn't quite reach as far and only managed to get onto her tongue. It was sticky and tasted weird and sort of salty, and the texture was incredibly strange.

But it definitely wasn't bad.

In fact, she liked it. The feeling of it was 'meh,' but knowing that she had made Mike reach his climax, and it had happened _inside_ of her was incredibly hot. She eased her mouth off of him, leaving no trace of cum behind. She swallowed it.

"Holy fuck," Mike whispered. "El, that was… holy fuck," he repeated.

She smiled. "Did you like it?"

"I fucking loved it. I love y- it was the best fucking thing I've ever felt."

El, for the moment, ignored the fact that he had, yet again, dodged telling her that he loved her. "I loved it too. What you did. Me too." She looked down at herself, suddenly feeling timid now that he had finished.

"El?"

She looked up at him shyly, her face red. "Yes?"

He took a deep breath. "Sometimes I think I don't say it enough, but," he sighed. "You really are the most beautiful person in the world. I… I'm so fucking lucky to have you. You're so perfect, you're so selfless and kind and smart and I don't… I don't know what I did to have you." He paused and looked at her directly in her eyes, and she suddenly felt open and vulnerable to him. "You're the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

El felt her throat tighten and her heart jumped. Her eyes felt watery. "Mike," she said breathlessly. "You're… you're the greatest that's ever happened to me, too." She lunged forward and wrapped him into a hug tight, feeling their warm chests press together, running her fingers along his back.

The hug was amazing, both of them breathing in the scent of the other while they bathed in the afterglow of each other's orgasms. It was blissful; but she couldn't ignore the fact that the sound of Mike almost saying "I love you" was still echoing in her head.

**Okay, guys! That's it for this one. I hoped you all enjoyed it. I really went all out with the smut in the end... hope it wasn't too much. I don't feel like anything was too extreme; I lost my virginity at the same age, and the same goes with most of the people I'm friends with. It was fun to write, haha. Take care, guys :)**

**PS. What would you guys think if I started adding some Hopper into this story? I've been thinking about it and I think that it would be pretty fun to look into things with that part of the story... let me know what you think in the reviews!**


	36. Chapter 36

**9,556 words. Holy shit... I hadn't intended for this chapter to be so long, but there was just so much stuff that I wanted to cover with this one that it kind of grew. But after all, this is what the last 35 chapters and 148,000 words have been leading up to. I hope I did this moment justice... it took several re-reads and edits to make it like this, but I'm happy with this result. I hope you guys will be, too :)**

**On a different note, I was blown away by all of your guys' kind words last chapter. I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying this story! When I started it in August last year, I did not expect myself to get this far. But all the reviews and positive vibes from everyone is just amazing. Seeing a gmail notification when a review gets left instantly gets me excited to read it. Love you all 3**

**Corona is really fucking us up right now, isn't it? My plan was, and still is, to keep this story going until Season 4 drops, but it seems like filming is going to be postponed for MONTHS. ffs. Either way, I'm going to keep writing this for as long as I can. I still have a lot of ideas about how I can continue the story, so have faith, haha. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter.**

**Yug: I hope so, too! Fuck Troy, lmao. The crew is going to have to watch out in the future. **

**Guest: Thank you! I try to make this story as in-line with the characters as possible. I've seen the entire show at least a dozen times, so it annoys me when I read other fics and I see characters being portrayed poorly. I think that showing the more sexual side of relationships is very important, because it is something that I think exists in all high school relationships. Mike and El love each other more than any other pair of fourteen year olds, but when you mix that with the fact that, you know, they're also just horny teens at the end of the day, you get all sorts of stuff happening with them on a physical level. ****In regards to their season 3 awkwardness, I hope you agree with how I portrayed it here. This is how I always imagined it when I first saw the scene. Thanks for the review!**

**Hypersushi: We will have to see, won't we?**

**Shrike176: Thank you! Very representative of what I think a lot of high school-age teens would do things. The fact that they will be separated soon definitely plays a part in it. In terms of High school, yeah, things are moving along there. I know that Max and Mike can't hate each other forever, so perhaps they'll one day be considered closer friends. And things with Troy are definitely escalating, but we will have to see where that goes.**

**e1evenwhee1er: Thank you! I'm glad. I have a feeling no one objects to a Mileven-centered story, am I right? haha. And thank you so much, really. It's actually flattering to hear that the way I write is like an episode of the show 3 that's always the goal I was aiming for. But because it's not being aired on Netflix, I can get more down and dirty, not just with sexual stuff, but with things like drugs and alcohol, which, given the wait we might have until season 4, might come around at some point. I need to stay true to the high school experience, after all. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Luna0603: Good to hear, haha! I'm happy that you're able to see the true feelings they have for one another in their sexual interactions. The last thing this story is about is just two horny teens. Mike and El got far deeper than that, as you can see through their talks before and after. Fuck Troy, indeed! We will have to see where things go with him. El and Will's growing sibling dynamic is something that I enjoy writing about, so I'm glad you enjoy it. In regards to Hopper, I agree. I have a feeling that he might start appearing in some chapters, given the long wait we will certainly have until S4. I'll have to think about what I'd want to write about. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Jbg: Thank you! I'm glad that this story is giving you some entertainment during these times. Although, the fact that I have no work or school is definitely one of the reasons why I was able to make 10k word chapter, haha. I'm still thinking about whether or not I'd like to add Hopper, but if I decide to, I hope you still stick around :) Enjoy the chapter!**

El lay wide awake in her bed, her mind spinning frantically. Matter how hard she tried, she couldn't manage to clear her mind enough for her to fall asleep. The reason for it? She knew. And she was willing to bet that most of the other people in the Byers house were feeling the same way. It was the last day of September, meaning tomorrow was October first.

Tomorrow, the Byers were moving out of Hawkins.

Even saying the sentence in her head was enough to draw her to tears. The day had snuck up on her like a stalking cat. After spending _that_ evening with Mike a month ago, they had continued to hang out as much as they could. Sometimes they messed around; most times they didn't though, mainly due to the fear of being caught; they didn't get a whole lot of alone time.

Other than that, she had spent many weekends, and sometimes the hours after school, hanging out with the rest of the Party. When she wasn't with her friends, she spent her time occupying herself with the work Joyce gave her or enjoying some of her own hobbies. She enjoyed reading a lot. Will gave her one of his old notebooks a while back that she sometimes doodled in.

But she didn't tell anyone that.

El had to admit that at times she got bored. Actually, it was quite often she found herself struggling to find ways to keep herself occupied. Especially during the hours when everyone else was at school; she could never talk to Mike on the Supercom, or hang out with anyone; even Joyce was at work for most of the time.

It was upsetting because it often reminded her of the time she spent in the cabin, back when she still lived with Hopper. Although back then, she truly _was_ in complete isolation, other than in the mornings and evenings when he was home for a couple of hours before and after work.

She rolled over on her side, finding her current position not suitable for falling asleep. At the front of her bedroom were nearly a dozen cardboard boxes of varying sizes, all filled with her belongings; clothes, board games, books, and some dolls and toys that she hadn't touched in ages but kept for the sake of their emotional value. The walls of her bedroom were bare; where photos and posters once hang, there was nothing. The furniture from her room was mostly in the living room, apart from her desk and her bed, which they would be transporting into the truck tomorrow.

Fortunately, the Party had planned to all come to their house and help them with the moving process, so they wouldn't be doing it alone. Admittedly, despite everything that was going on, there was one thing at the forefront of her mind that was taking priority even over moving; Mike.

It had been months. It wasn't hard for her to tell all the times when he had _almost_ accidentally said that he loved her. She knew (or at least, she was pretty sure) that he did, and she definitely knew that she loved him. But, honestly, she was just waiting for him to say it. Somehow, she didn't want to be the one to say it first. She was worried that he'd think that she didn't understand what it fully meant, or doubt her or something.

_Do you even know what that means, El? _She doubted he would say something like that, but what if he did? Or what if something else happened? Mike was always the one person who never second-guessed her and treated her like an actual, regular person. Well, Hopper did too, but he was gone now.

She really didn't want to leave Hawkins without him admitting how she felt; she wanted him to know she loved him. And he wanted to hear him say it back. But would it have to come down to her just telling him straight up? She supposed that if he didn't make the first move, then that's what she'd have to do. No matter what.

She closed her eyes, the last thought being her determined resolution to finally tell Mike what she'd been wanting to tell him since the Fourth.

* * *

Mike awoke slowly, feeling rather disoriented. He realized what day it was and he groaned and wrapped himself up in his bedsheets. He didn't want to get up, but he knew he had to. This was the last day that he was going to seel El and Will and the rest of the Byers until most likely Thanksgiving.

_Maybe if I stay here, they just won't go._

He snorted sarcastically at himself. Why couldn't he just get a grip? Why couldn't he just accept that they were moving away, and carry on with his life? He knew the answer, but he didn't want to admit it.

Because he loved her. He loved El. It's not like he was embarrassed to say it. No, that's not why he didn't want to tell her. He just didn't want to tell her because he was afraid of what El might say if he did. He still wasn't even sure if she had heard him all that time ago in the cabin. But if she had, why hadn't she said anything?

He didn't know.

All he knew was that a large part of him wanted to tell her; this was something that had been weighing down on him ever since he accidentally slipped up when he was talking on the Fourth. And the worst part of it was that he had slipped up in front of everyone, except for, of course, El.

So everyone knew, except for her. What a great situation to be in. But she deserved to know. In less than twelve hours, he'd be saying goodbye to her for the last time in a long time. He huffed a heavy sigh and pushed the thought aside. He'd start thinking about it when he was there. He'd have to feel out the situation beforehand; deciding what he was going to do now was frivolous.

With heavy reluctance, he dragged himself out of his bed and trudged to the bathroom where he had a long, hot shower. Yet somehow, even after he was done, he still didn't feel completely awake. Which was odd, because usually, a long shower did the trick when he felt lethargic.

He had a slow breakfast while absent-mindedly answering his Mom's bothersome questions about Will moving and what he was going to do today, the whole spiel. He wasn't feeling that hungry. He wasn't feeling that much of anything really. The only thing he _did _feel was a pit in his stomach that seemed to be getting bigger every second.

"When are you leaving?" she asked him and Nancy.

"As soon as we're done eating," Nancy replied. Mike glanced over at her, startled by her

voice. He had almost forgotten she was even here. It hadn't even occurred to her that he wasn't the only one who was saying goodbye to a significant other today. Jonathan was leaving too. He felt a pang of sympathy for her, knowing what she must be going through right now.

But he wasn't going to say that out loud.

"Okay, just let me know before you leave," she replied. "And make sure you get something to eat for lunch, or just come back here. Alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it Mom, okay?" he replied impatiently. "We can take care of ourselves."

His Mom raised her arms in the air in mock-surrender. "Okay, okay, okay," she repeated. "I just don't want you guys going hungry, or something."

"Mm-hm," Mike grumbled, picking at his scrambled eggs. He cursed under his breath and stabbed the last bit with his fork aggressively and jammed it inside his mouth and stormed to his bedroom.

"Mike?" his mom called. When he didn't answer, she started to go up after him but Nancy interjected.

"Mom, wait," she said, standing up out of her chair. "He's fine, he's just upset about Will moving. Just… give him some space, okay?"

She looked toward the stairwell, a concerned look on her face. "Well… okay, if you think so. I know you guys have gotten a little bit closer in the last year, so…"

"Right," Nancy agreed. "Just trust me."

Her mom nodded and went back toward the counter to resume what she had been doing. Nancy looked down at her plate and decided that she wasn't hungry enough to finish her toast. She took her plate and rinsed it off before putting it in the dishwasher.

"Thanks for breakfast, Mom," she told her, and started making her way upstairs before waiting for a reply. When she got to the top, she detracted from her usual route to her bedroom and knocked on Mike's door.

"I don't wanna talk right now, Mom," he replied gruffly.

"It's Nancy," she replied, biting back a light laugh.

"Oh… okay, come in, I guess," was his answer.

She opened the door and saw Mike sitting on his bed, staring at the floor. "You alright?"

He shrugged and didn't look up. "I… no, I'm not," he replied, trying to ignore the lump forming in his throat. "I don't want them to go, Nancy."

She went to him and sat down on the bed beside him. "I know how you feel… I know."

"With Jonathan, right?" Mike looked up at her.

"Mm-hm," she nodded slowly, not meeting his eyes.

"Do you love him?"

She whipped her head around to face him, caught off guard by his question. "Oh- um…" Did she love him? If she was honest, she didn't really know. She might. It hadn't been at the forefront of her mind; she had just been focusing on the fact that he was leaving.

"I don't… I don't know, Mike. Maybe."

They sat in silence for a couple more minutes, simply enjoying each other's company. "I don't even know how I'm going to be able to talk to her, Nancy," he said, fighting tears. "I just… I'm so scared of her not being here, or of something happening to her when she goes away. I don't want to say goodbye to her. I don't know how to say goodbye to her."

"What do you mean?"

Mike sighed and put his face in his hands. "I don't know, I just… what am I going to say? I won't see her for months, and I love her. What if I say the wrong thing? What if it's awkward?"

"It won't be awkward, Mike," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Just… be yourself. That's what she likes. And you're probably not the only one… she's probably worried about saying goodbye, too. This sort of thing is hard to do with someone… especially when you love them."

* * *

El closed her eyes and breathed out slowly while the hot water flowed down her body. Showers usually helped her deal with her emotions and calm her down when she was nervous or stressed, but this time, her regular strategy proved to be unsuccessful.

She was finding it hard to comprehend what today was; she'd be saying goodbye to the first true family she'd ever had; the Party. Not forever, but for the next few months, until she could see them again for a weekend on Thanksgiving. But then after that, it would be _another_ few long months before seeing them.

So no, she wasn't saying goodbye to them forever. But it certainly felt like it.

How would she even be able to function today? Every second it felt like she was going to break down and cry, and he was constantly swallowing the lump that kept coming back in her throat. She was barely able to say good morning to Joyce on her way to the bathroom from her bedroom with a straight face.

How would she even be able to even look at Mike without crying? She didn't want to go; she would have given anything for the chance to bring him with them or to just stay here with him. The time she spent in the cabin without him for three-hundred-and-a-half days was forever ingrained in her mind; she couldn't fathom only seeing him a few times a year.

Facing her friends today was going to be difficult.

She finished rinsing out her hair and turned off the water, and toweled herself dry slowly, not particularly eager to step back into the world and face everyone. She hadn't spoken to Will or Jonathan yet, but she had a hunch that they were probably feeling pretty upset about things, too.

After getting dressed, she made her way to the kitchen and saw Joyce working on a bowl of cereal. "Hey, sweetie," she said, smiling. "How you feeling?"

She shrugged and didn't meet her eye. "Okay," she replied simply. She didn't have enough faith in herself to say anything more.

"You want breakfast? There's some cereal on the counter."

She nodded and poured herself a bowl and sat down on the opposite side of the table from Joyce. Neither of them spoke for a while until Joyce finally broke the silence.

"So, you're up early," she pointed out. "Wanted to get a quick start, or what?"

El shrugged again. "I didn't sleep well. I don't know."

"Oh," she answered. She was about to ask why, but the answer was obvious, and she didn't want to sound like an idiot. "El, I know you're upset about this, but… don't worry, okay? You're not saying goodbye to them forever, we can come back and visit as often as we can. We'll get through it, okay?"

El looked at her but didn't answer. "You're not still mad at me, are you?" Joyce asked.

She shook her head. "No, I know why we have to go… I just don't want to. And I'm nervous about seeing Mike."

Joyce's eyebrows shot up. "Nervous about Mike? Why?"

She didn't know how else to say it. It was Joyce, so she could be trusted. She had been there for her ever since she first moved in with them, and had helped with everything. Because of her, she had somewhere to live. "Because I love him."

For a moment, Joyce didn't react. That was the last thing she had expected her to say. She didn't even know if El fully understood the significance of the phrase. But she knew better than to ask El if she did, because that was just a perfect recipe to piss her off. She had learned a long time ago that others doubting her abilities and aptitude was her biggest pet peeve.

"Have you told him yet?" she asked.

She shook her head, staring at the floor. "No, I… I haven't really gotten the chance."

"Are you scared that she won't say it back?" she questioned.

"Well, I've already heard him say it. But it wasn't… he didn't say it to me," she admitted.

Joyce was confused. "What do you mean?"

El looked around the room, as if trying to never let her eyes fall on Joyce. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to look at anyone right now. "On the Fourth, I was in the void looking for Billy. Mike… he got into an argument with Max about whether or not it was okay that I was using my powers for so long and he… he said that he loved me."

Joyce furrowed her brow. "Then what happened?"

"Then I came out, and asked what was happening, and they told me nothing."

"And he hasn't told you since?"

El shook her head. "I want to tell him today, but… I don't know if I should. Or how."

"Because you don't want to leave without him knowing?"

"Yes," she confirmed quietly. "I'm kind of nervous, it… it seems like a big deal."

"Well, it shouldn't have to be," she put her hand on El's and rubbed her thumb over it. "Just tell him, sweetie. There's no way he won't react well. If what you're saying is true, then you already know his answer. Right?"

What Joyce was saying made sense, she guessed.

So why was she still so nervous?

* * *

"What's up, guys?" Lucas greeted Dustin and Miked after he opened his front door to them.

"Not much," Dustin replied casually. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me grab my coat real quick," he answered. He looked toward Mike, who hadn't spoken yet. "You alright, Mike?"

He didn't answer. Dustin rapped him gently on the side of his arm with his knuckles. "Earth to Michael," he said. "You good?"

He finally snapped out of his trance. "What? Oh, yeah, I'm… I'm okay."

Lucas and Dustin exchanged knowing glances, knowing exactly what was going on. "Look, man, we know what you're you're thinking about. Just… let us know if we can do anything to help, okay?"

Mike offered them a small smile. He knew he probably didn't say it enough, but he was incredibly thankful for his friends. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate that, really."

Both of them nodded. "No worries, dude," Dustin acknowledged.

"It's almost nine o'clock, we should head over to Max's, then get to Will's," Lucas announced. The group of teens murmured in agreement at his point, and the three of them started down the driveway of his house.

"See you later, _nerds_," Erica called from the front door as they reached the road. Dustin and Mike rolled their eyes.

"Shut up, Erica!"

When Max, Dustin, Lucas, and Mike finally got to the Byers house on their bikes, Nancy had already gotten there; she had taken the car. She and Jonathan were working together to a move a couch out of the main door, but it looked like Nancy was having some trouble.

"Hold on, Nancy, let me help," Mike called, and ran over to her side. "Here, let go."

Nancy grunted and was able to shift the weight into Mike's hands. "Thanks," she said gratefully. "I thought I was gonna drop it."

"You're welcome," he replied, focusing on trying to walk backwards down the steps holding the heavy piece of furniture.

"Been lifting weights?" Jonathan asked him, chuckling.

"What?" Mike answered, a laugh escaping him. "What do you mean?"

They finally got over to the truck and placed the couch on the ground. Jonathan slapped his hands together, and Mike saw the dust that was caked on them fly off. "I just have a feeling you wouldn't have been able to do that a couple months ago, that's all."

"Oh," he said, scratching the back of his and furrowing his brow. "I don't know, I have gym this semester. I've been doing a lot of push-ups. Maybe I've beefed up."

Jonathan hummed a second light laugh before going back into the house. "Damn, Mike," Dustin joked from behind him. "Maybe Troy is leaving you alone just because he thinks you're stronger than him."

Mike scoffed. "Give me a break," he muttered. "He's a lot stronger than me, I've seen him."

The other teens raised their eyebrows but didn't carry on the conversation. They all followed suit where Jonathan had gone and entered the house. They weren't prepared for what it looked like.

"Holy shit," Dustin whispered. "Okay, this is too weird. This is really weird."

As he looked around, Mike couldn't help but feel emotional. He had spent a staggering amount of time in this house, especially during his elementary school and kindergarten years. Back then, he and Will would hang out at his house or over here nearly every day after school. Seeing everything either gone or going was… well, depressing. The walls were utterly barren; all the bookshelves and family photos were gone; the rugs and mats that used to lie on the ground were nowhere to be seen, leaving a rather unattractive and deserted-looking wood-paneling floor. There were still some things in the kitchen, and there were still tons of cardboard boxes with various labels scrawled in a Sharpie on them, so the house wasn't _completely _empty… not yet, at least.

Mike's train of thought was interrupted when a frazzled-looking Joyce entered the room they were standing in. "Oh, hey guys," she said, out of breath. "Thanks for coming."

"No worries, Mrs. Byers," Dustin replied. The rest of them echoed his answer with nods of agreement. "What can we do to help?"

Joyce turned around and surveyed the room, running her hand through her frizzy hair. "Ummm… there's some stuff in the storage room that needs to be boxed still, and the kitchen has some things too. Jonathan and Nancy are in his room, El and Will are still packing up their stuff in their rooms."

"Okay, then it looks like we're gonna divide and conquer here, guys," Lucas clapped his hands together. "Me and Max will get the stuff in the storeroom. We can box it all-"

"Mom, where does the- oh, hi, guys." Everyone in the living room turned around and saw Will and El standing in the bedroom hallway, both of them holding a box each filled with their own possessions. Both of them were looking pretty timid and on-edge.

"What's up, guys?" Max greeted them.

"Hey," came from Lucas

"Yo," was Dustin.

Mike was about to say hi when his eyes fell on El and his voice fizzled out. They locked eyes and he could tell that they were both thinking the same thing. As soon as their stares connected they both turned in a different direction. _Great. _

It was clear that right now, for both of them, it seemed easier to pretend like this wasn't happening than to actually acknowledge it. "Uh… hi, guys," was all Mike could manage.

Will nodded at him, and El simply waved. _Jesus Christ, this is awful. _Why was everything so awkward? Mike felt like he was about to run back out the front door where he came from when Dustin (God bless him) finally broke the silence. "Alright, let's get to work!"

Mike watched him, Lucas, Max, Joyce, and Will all disperse, leaving only him and El in the living room, staring at one another awkwardly. At that moment, he was finding it incredibly hard to speak; he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail; it highlighted how it had grown even longer since the beginning of the summer. She still hadn't cut it since then, and now fell neatly an inch below her shoulder line. He had grown very accustomed to stroking his fingers through it when they hugged or made out (or, as of recently), or when she was giving him a blowjob.

_Don't think about that now, Mike. _The last thing he needed was a unneeded boner in front of everyone.

She was wearing that plaid shirt that she always did; it was her favorite shirt she had, and he knew it for a fact. It was the first shirt Hopper had gotten her when he took her in, and she treasured it dearly. Her porcelain skin reflected the sunlight coming through all the opened windows in the room, making it seem like she was glowing like an angel. Her large brown eyes that he would stare into forever seemed to be looking around him, rather than at him.

"Hi, El…" he said slowly and unsurely.

"Hey," she replied quietly. There was a noticeable tension in the room, but neither of them could quite understand why. It's not like something bad had happened the last time they were together. But they both knew that the true problem that faced them had nothing to do with something one of them had done. This would be the last time they would be seeing each other for months. And for some reason, the idea of that made everything just seem weird and awkward.

"Do you… want some help getting stuff out of your room?" he asked in an effort to break the silence.

"Um, yeah, sure… thanks," she replied. Mike followed her down the hallway as she led him to her room, neither of them talking. El opened the door for him and he stepped into her room and felt a pang of sadness. She had only been living in this bedroom for around three months, but it seemed as though they already had so many shared first experiences and memories of things happening here over the summer.

All of the furniture in the room was still present, along with some of her books and belongings that had been collected on her shelves and table surfaces. Mike's eyes fell on the collection of small gifts that he had gotten her over time since they were reunited. Valentine's Day cards, photos, his mixtape, drawings, and love notes… it seemed like every single thing he had ever given to her was present.

"I want to bring all of this stuff," she stated quietly, gesturing toward her things with a sweep of her arm. "It's gonna go in this box, here." She went behind her bed and produced a small cardboard box with bubble wrap lining the insides. On the outside was a piece of masking tape on it with the word "Mike" written on it.

Mike turned red and looked toward her. "You have a… box just for me?"

El smiled back sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders. "Well… yeah, I don't want to leave anything behind," she explained. "I want to have this stuff so I can remember you in Des Moins."

"Oh, right," he nodded. "That's the town, right?"

"Mm-hm," she verified, and grabbed a small photo album from her dresser. It was a small thing, with only around a dozen pages. It had all of the photos that were taken on the Snowball of her and Mike and some other members of the Party. She opened the first page and saw her and Mike standing in front of the snowflake screen, their arms around each other, smiling.

El reached out with her index finger and gently traced it along the glossy surface of the photo where his smiling face was. She felt the bump in her throat again when it occurred to her that she would probably never get to go to another school dance with him for the rest of her time in school.

Mike noticed what she was looking at and peered over her shoulder. "Hm," he chuckled. "That was a good day."

El's lips curved upward in a small smile in spite of herself. "I remember," she reminisced. "You asked me to be your girlfriend that day."

"Uh-huh," he agreed. They locked eyes and looked at each other for a brief moment. He stepped toward and wrapped his arms around her neck and she flung her arms around his chest and across his back and squeezed him as hard as she could without suffocating him.

"I don't want to go, Mike," she finally broke down in his arms, and her whole body shook as she let out all the emotions that had been practically bursting at her seams all morning. "I don't want to leave you." He bit on his tongue to hold in his cries of anguish.

"I know, El," he said, rubbing his hands along her back, trying his best to maintain his composure. "I know. But remember… hey, look at me." He let go of her and put his hands on either side of her head and held it softly. "It's like I told you last month, okay? We'll get through it. We always get through it."

El raised her hand up to meet Mike's on her face and she brought it down, squeezing it hard. She looked at him for a long time, right in the eyes. She could see the raw emotion in his expression seem to soften, showing nothing but love and hope and adoration. "Mike…"

They were staring at one another. She had the words on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't bring herself to say them. Why not? _What's wrong with me?! Just tell him!_

"I know, Mike," she finally managed to say. "We'll be okay."

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon, Mike and El and the rest of the Party kept themselves occupied with moving all the stuff out of the house and making sure everything was clean and taken care of. The dynamic between everyone in the house was odd; the whole situation was so surreal for all of them, especially for Will, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin. They had been best friends for years, and it never occurred to them that one day they would be seperated. Back when they were twelve, they thought that they would _always_ be together, playing D and D and having fun. Now that it was nearly two years later, their lives had changed in such drastic ways. It felt like no one could even wrap their heads around what was happening. Maybe why that was why things felt so… awkward and weird.

After their long hug, Mike and El had not spoken much; they had worked together to clear the last few things out of her room without much conversation. The whole time, El was kicking herself for not telling him that she loved him at the time when it made sense. But once again, she had choked in the heat of the moment. For some reason that she couldn't understand, she was afraid to admit her true feelings to him. Which seemed ridiculous to her; their relationship had become nothing but stronger since the Fourth, and it seemed like almost every day her feelings for him grew stronger.

So why couldn't she just spit it out?

As she was packing up the last few things in her room, she heard Lucas's and Max's voices coming from the main area. Their voices bounced off the walls with an echo since the house was so empty. "Turnnn around… look at what you seeee-eee-eee…"

"Shut up, guys!"

For the first time in hours, she cracked a smile. Leave it Lucas and Max to tease Dustin about that. That song had been a running joke between the friend group the whole summer; it was the easiest way to get on Dustin's nerves.

Mike walked back into the house from the driveway and laughed, listening to his friends' duet. "Turn around… look at what you see, in her face… the mirror of your dreams… rhymes that keep their secrets… will unfold behind the clouds-"

"Wait, did we get that verse right? It's unfold _behind _the clouds?" Max asked, her tone dripping with mockery and sarcasm.

"Yeah," Dustin said, glaring at her. "But you're butchering it, so could you please stop?"

"So then join in, Dusty-bun," Lucas shot back, blowing him an air kiss.

"Yeah, c'mon Dusty-bun, why don't you join us?" Max teased.

"You guys are so funny, you should be Carson."

"Can't we just hear your rendition?" Max asked.

"No."

"_Please? _Just one verse," she begged.

"No! No way," he shouted. "It's reserved for Suzie's ears and Suzie ear's alone," he snapped, and stared at them, as if challenging them to start singing again. Lucas's head whipped to the left and he and Max looked at one another and shared a knowing look.

"Turrrnn arooouund… look at what you seeeee-eee-ee…"

Dustin flipped his middle finger up at them and waved it around. "Shut up, you guys!"

Mike chuckled to himself and walked past them after witnessing the spectacle. He was about to grab a second box to bring into the yard when he saw Will put his Dungeons and Dragons box in the donation box.

"Whoa, dude," he said. "That's the donation box."

"I know. I'll just use yours when I come back," he replied. "I mean, if we still wanna play."

Of course he'd be willing to play when he came back, but what if Will found other friends? "Yeah, but… what if you want to join another party?"

"Not possible," he replied, smiling. Mike felt his own lips curling upward. He knew that Will might find new friends in Des Moins, but no one would ever replace _The_ Party. Before he could get a chance to say anything to him, he was walking away to get some more stuff to carry out front.

* * *

El looked around her room, feeling content with her work. Everything had been neatly transferred to the boxes that were now in the front yard being put inside the truck by Jonathan. She put her hands on her hips and surveyed the empty space, taking one last look to make sure everything was accounted for.

As she was about to head out of the room she saw her old teddy bear at the top of her closet shelf out the corner of her eye. It'd probably make a good addition to the donation box; she hadn't used it in ages.. She walked toward her closet and stood up on her toes and tried to reach it. Her wrist got over the shelf, but the stuffed animal proved to be too far back for her fingers to graze. She brought her arm back down, and stepped back, breathing heavily.

She wasn't tall enough. She didn't know where Mike was, and she was pretty sure she was the only one who was tall enough to reach it.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in her head. It had been a long time since she tried, but…

Slowly, her hand came up in front of her and her fingers contorted tightly. She furrowed her brow in concentration and strained her mind as much as she could. It wasn't until she could feel her pulse in her head that she finally brought her hand down, panting heavily. Her powers were still gone. Truth be told, she hadn't expected them to work, but it still made her sad that they were gone. It was odd that the thing that had caused her life to be ruined in the first place was gone now, and she missed it.

"They'll come back."

She turned to the side and saw Mike walking toward her with an encouraging smile on his face. "I know they will." He went to the closet and reached up and easily grabbed the Teddy Bear from the shelf and passed it down to her.

"Thanks," she said, grinning. She tucked it under her arms.

"Did you pack your walkie?"

"Yes," she replied, remembering putting it in its own small box.

"Because you know that I'm gonna steal Cerebro from Dustin and call you so much that you're gonna have to turn it off, right?" They both laughed, breaking the tension that was between them a little bit for the first time the entire day. Her eyes fell to the floor when she sensed the awkwardness creeping back.

"Did you ask your Mom? About… Thanksgiving?" she asked in an effort to lessen the increasing uneasiness in her stomach. She'd be walking out of this house for the last time in a couple minutes. Soon it was going to be now or never.

"Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got the okay. I'll be there." She smiled. At least _that_ was good news. Neither of them had been quite sure if Karen would be okay with him _and _Nancy staying overnight at a house five hours away, so it was good to hear that she was willing to let him go.

"And then I was thinking you could come up here for Christmas. And Will, too," he suggested. "You can come before or after Christmas, or whatever Mrs. Byers wants, but I was thinking Christmas Day could be super fun because we would all have cool new presents to play with, and, uhh…"

_Shit. _The trademark nervous Mike Wheeler ramble had just made its first appearance of the day. "Sorry, that made me sound like a seven-year-old."

El looked at him apprehensively. She shrugged. "I… like presents, too."

"Yeah, cool. Yeah," he heard himself saying. "I like- I like presents too." _Fuck! What's wrong with you?! _Why couldn't he just talk like a normal person for two seconds? This was the girl he had loved for almost two years, not some stranger.

El glanced at her feet again, not really sure what to say. "Cool," she settled on. _Shit. _She inwardly cringed at her response. _Cool? Why would I say that? _

She looked at him, and when he didn't say anything she felt herself slowly walking away.

When she left his field of view, Mike sighed and shook his head. All he had to do was have a regular conversation with her for ten seconds, and he was such a mess that he couldn't even do that without making a complete moron out of himself. And to think that he had originally planned to tell her that he loved her. He couldn't even act like a regular human being in front of her, he was so worked up about all this.

Stupid.

El was about to walk out of the room when her previous thought echoed in her mind. _It was now or never. _She squeezed her eyes shut and turned around. "Mike?"

He shifted on his feet and looked at her, his hand on the back of his head. "Yeah?"

El anxiously fiddled with the stuffed bear in her arms. "Remember that day… at the cabin, you were talking to Max?"

_Oh, fuck. _"Um," Mike started. "I don't think I follow."

"You talked about your- your feelings," she recalled. "Your heart."

Oh, Lord. So she _had _heard him. But how much had she heard? His heart started thumping. Oh," he said quietly, trying to maintain a calm tone. "Oh, yeah, that. Man, that was so long ago. Um, that was just... really heat of the moment stuff, and… I don't really remember… what did I say, exactly?"

He knew full damn well what he had said, but he was praying that El didn't. He had no idea what she was going to say. Was she going to say that she loved him? Was she going to tell him that she didn't _know_ if she did? Or… what if she didn't even love him at all? What if she just didn't love him the way she did? He could hear his heart pounding in his ears.

"Mike…" she said, before trailing off again.

_Now or never. Now or never. Now or never. _El kept repeating the phrase in her head over and over again, trying to rationalize what she was about to do. She had no idea what he was going to say. This was all she had been thinking the whole day, and it was the reason why everything was so awkward between them. And she had a tiny hunch that the reason he was being so weird was because he felt the same way.

El was standing right in front of Mike now, looking at him in a way that she had never looked at him before; he felt like she was staring right into his soul. She rested her right hand on his cheek, and then she said it.

"I love you, too."

Before he could even register the words that had escaped her lips, they were already on his. It was passionate and soft and meaningful. It felt like it lasted forever but at the same time half of a second. He was too lost in thought to even reciprocate the kiss.

When she finally backed away, it was only by an inch or so. He could still feel her breath on his mouth. Her hand fell down onto his shoulder, and then she let it slide down his chest. She finally walked away, without waiting for a reply.

El squeezed her eyes shut as she passed through the doorway, trying to suppress the hurricane of feelings going on inside her and tightened her grasp on the stuffed bear in her arms. She tried to ignore the fact that Mike hadn't immediately responded to her. Maybe he was just surprised. He had certainly looked like it. And unless he had changed his mind about loving her since three months ago, then there was no reason to think that had changed.

She'd be seeing him again before she got into the moving truck. She'd wait till then to think about it more.

* * *

Joyce had never really been exactly sure why she had taken things from Hopper's cabin. She had never told anyone she had; not even Jonathan or Will.

She had gone a few weeks ago, when she had started packing things up for the move initially. It wasn't clear to her what had triggered the idea; all she knew was that on around the first day of packing, she had realized that she simply couldn't leave Hawkins along with Hopper's busted up cabin to rot in the woods.

His entire life with El had been built in that rickety thing; every single thing he had owned had been in that cabin. And of course, no one knew. He didn't have any family in Hawkins. The family that _had_ come to his funeral had been limited and seemed like they couldn't have cared less, as if their presence had just been a formality rather than a desire. Not even his ex-wife had come.

Thus, she had taken it upon herself to go back to the cabin and take some things to keep. All the boxes from his basement storage space were already in the truck. She had taken some photo albums and pictures, and some other odd items. Among which included things like the ashtray from his bedroom, his hat, his gun and some of his clothes, along with some other things. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with them, but she knew that she was not going to let it collect dust in the middle of the woods. Aside from the already existing boxes she had gotten from his basement, she had acquired a new box to put the rest of his things in that she had labeled "Hopper."

She had just finished folding the shirt he had worn on the Fourth, the really colorful one that she remembered raising her eyebrow at. The last thing to go in the box was his uniform, the one he wore on duty. She was folding it up to go to in the box when she felt a bulge in the front chest pocket. Squeezing it, she heard the sound of paper crumpling. With unsteady hands, she pulled the sheet out of his pocket and opened it up.

It was his speech. Her expression turned sober as her eyes fell on the words he had written.

"Donation box?" She looked behind her and saw El standing in the doorway, holding a stuffed teddy hair.

"Uh, yeah, sure," she responded, nodding her head toward the cardboard container in the corner of the room.

El's expression changed as her eyes fell on the piece of paper that Joyce was holding. "What… is that?"

She looked back at the piece of paper and sighed sadly. "It's the speech," she said, her voice nearly breaking. "That Hop wrote for you and Mike."

El looked confused. "Speech?"

"Yeah, you know," she elaborated. "The heart-to-heart."

El creased her brow. Joyce squinted her eyes. "He never talked to you, did he?" she asked.

El shook her head. Joyce scoffed lightly under her breath. Go figure. She glanced down at the crumpled up sheet of paper.

"Can I read?" El asked.

* * *

El slowly eased herself onto the floor of her empty former-bedroom and lay on her stomach. She tried to calm her nerves and the pounding in her chest as she slowly opened up the piece of paper. At the top of the page, she recognized Joyce's handwriting all over it. She must have helped him write it.

_There's something that I've been wanting to talk to you both about. I know this is a difficult conversation, but I care about you both very much. And I know that you care about each other very much. And that's why it's important that we set these boundaries moving forward so we can build an environment where we all feel comfortable, trusted, and open to sharing our feelings. _

She chuckled lightly under her breath, trying to imagine Hopper saying that to her and Mike. She probably wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face if he did. The words had the name "Joyce" written all over them.

The next paragraph was a couple of lines below the first one, and the immediately recognized it as Hopper's scribbly and messy handwriting. She took a deep breath and started reading.

_Feelings. Jesus… the truth is, for so long, I'd forgotten what those reasons were. I've been stuck in one place, in a cave, you might say. A deep, dark cave. And then, I left some Eggos out in the woods, and you came into my life, and… for the first time, in a long time… I started to feel things again._

_I started to feel happy. _

She felt the first tear slide down her cheek.

_But lately, I guess I've been feeling… distant from you. Like you're… you're pulling away from me or something. I miss playing board games every night. Making triple-decker Eggo extravaganzas at sunrise, watching westerns together until we doze off. _

El nearly gasped as another tear rolled across her face, while the first one fell and hit the page. Vivid images and memories flashed before her eyes of her and Hopper doing all of those things and it almost made her sick to know that it would never happen again.

Even more, it ripped her heart in two to realize that the whole time her and Mike were hanging out every day for those two months, he had been feeling this way. And it was true; after her and Mike finally reunited, she and Hopper hadn't spent nearly as much time together as they did before. Maybe that's why he had been so bitter toward her and Mike's relationship.

Because he was lonely.

_But I know you're getting older. Growing, changing. And I guess, if I'm being really honest, that's what scares me. I don't want things to change. So I think maybe that's why I came in here, to try to maybe… stop that change. To turn back the clock. To make things go back to how they were. But I know that's naive. It's just not how life works. _

A tiny amount of weight lifted off her chest when she read that part. It was true; she had grown and changed a lot since she first moved in with him. Back then, she was a little twelve-year-old girl who was practically bald. So maybe Hopper wasn't upset that she wasn't spending as much time with him anymore… maybe he was just sad because she was growing up. And there was nothing she could have done to change that, no matter how hard she tried.

_It's moving. Always moving, whether you like it or not. And yeah, sometimes it's painful. Sometimes it's sad. And sometimes… it's surprising. Happy. So you know what? Keep up on growing up, kid. Don't let me stop you. Make mistakes, learn from them… and when life hurts you, because it will… remember the hurt. The hurt is good. It means you're out of that cave. _

El had been hurting since he died. It was a lot less these days, but it was still there. There were days when she didn't even want to get out of bed because she knew that it wasn't going to be Hopper greeting her when she walked out of her room. Sometimes she'd have dreams with him in them and then she'd wake up and almost start looking for him, but then she'd remember.

It never occurred to her that the hurt… that it could be good. In a sense, she felt like she had been in a cave her whole life. In the lab. But she was out of the cave now. She had friends, a family, and a life. But with those things came all the things that came from them. Among which included pain. You couldn't have anything good in life if nothing bad ever happened.

_But please, if you don't mind… for the sake of your poor old Dad, keep the door open three inches. _

She couldn't help but laugh out loud. The humorous callback to his incessant pestering of her and Mike brought a smile to her face. It had always been kind of funny to hear him always calling "keep the door open three inches!" at them when they tried to push his sacred three-inch-minimum rule.

But alas, the warm feeling in her chest that she got from reading the last sentence of his speech was short-lived. As quick as it had appeared, everything came flooding back to her at once. The weight of the move and Hopper's death crushed down from above her and there was nothing she could do to help herself from crying.

It was all too much. It was too much. She missed him so badly. _So, so _badly. But he was gone. Gone forever.

A knocking sound came from the doorway and she looked up and saw Joyce with a concerned expression on her face. "Are you okay?"

El looked up, her vision blurred from the liquid in her eyes. Was she okay? She didn't know. But now wasn't the time to figure that out. They would be leaving in a few minutes and everyone was waiting outside for her and Joyce to come out. "Yeah," she choked. "Time to go?"

She nodded sadly. "Yeah."

El sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I'll be out… in a minute."

Joyce simply nodded and walked away. El was glad that she had granted her privacy; she was half-expecting her to come over anyway and try to console her, which _was_ sometimes what she wanted. But she and Joyce knew that sometimes, being on your own was the best thing.

She balled up the piece of paper and held it in both of her hands, rocking them back and forth gently. Somehow, it made her feel stronger; it made her feel like she could get through this. Trying to calm her tears, she tucked it into her frot pocket and nodded to herself and exhaled deeply.

It was time to go.

* * *

If Mike was being completely honest, it had been the last thing he was expecting her to say. When she was walking up to him, the thoughts in his were all along the lines of _she's going to say she doesn't know. She's going to say she needs time to figure it out. She's going to say that she _doesn't _love me back. _He didn't know why that was what he was thinking; probably just his own self-confidence issues at work.

After she had left the room, he had continued to stand there with his mouth hanging open for about ten more seconds. He would have gone to speak with her, but as soon as he started walking toward the exit he started hearing her talking to Joyce, so instead, he scurried outside to the front yard where everyone else was.

The entire time he was outside his mind was racing, trying to make fully comprehend what had just happened. El loved him.

El _loved_ him. The girl that meant more than anything in the world to him, the girl that had changed his life in such a huge and great way almost two years ago, the girl that he would give his life for in a heartbeat… that girl loved him. And she had said it herself.

There was only one logical thing for him to do now.

His heartbeat accelerated rapidly when he saw her step outside the front door. She was carrying a box, and he could tell she had been crying only a few moments before. Her gaze was on the moving truck, and she was walking toward it with a box in her arms. He watched her hand it over to Jonathan, who was in the truck, and he put in toward the back.

El turned around and they locked eyes for the first time since they had spoken. They stared at one another wordlessly, and for the first moment, neither of them did anything. Then something finally clicked.

Mike rushed toward her from where he was standing and she did the same and they collapsed into one another tightly, and he couldn't help himself from tearing up. "El, I love you," he said, his voice breaking. It felt so good to finally be able to say it. "I… I love you so fucking much."

El nearly burst into tears again, but this time it wasn't from sadness or despair. It was from happiness and love. She had never imagined how beautiful the phrase would sound on his tongue. "I know," she replied breathlessly. "I love you."

They separated slightly, only enough to be able to look at each other. "I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner," Mike said, his eyes red. "I just… I was afraid to."

She nodded her head. "It's okay, don't worry," she replied. "I needed to tell you before I left. I couldn't… I couldn't leave without you knowing."

He offered no response, but instead just pulled her in and hugged her even harder before, gently swaying her body back and forth. He felt her hands running up and down his back, and he raised his right and hand and tucked it into her hair, loving the way it felt in his fingers.

Eventually they had to let go of one another to say their goodbyes to the rest of the Party. It took a long time to get through everyone; there were a lot of people. El realized that every one of her friends held their own special place in her heart. Each hug she gave or received was one more step toward leaving Hawkins, and it was getting harder and harder to keep it together in front of everyone.

Dustin was the friend that always made her laugh or shake her head in amusement. He could always lighten the mood with a joke, and he was always the one to come up with an idea to solve a problem. "I'm gonna miss you, El," he had said as they hugged. "Watch out for yourself."

"I will."

Lucas would always be the Party member to think fast and act on his feet to protect them. He and his wrist-rocket had proven that to be true many times. "It's weird that a year and a half ago, you through me against a bus," Lucas had reminisced when they were saying their goodbye.

"Yeah," El laughed bittersweetly, remembering the memory.

"Make sure you're careful, El. I'm gonna miss you."

"Me, too."

Max was her first-ever girl friend. She had taught her about being herself and had helped her gain her own style and individuality. She taught her that 'there was more to life than 'stupid boys.'

"My first ever girl friend is leaving already," she had said sadly.

"We'll hang out when I come back," El told her. "I promise."

They hugged tightly. "I'll miss you being here. The boys get annoying sometimes."

"I know. Good luck."

They laughed.

And Mike… what could she even say about him? He was her everything. He was the one she knew would put himself between her and the face of death. The person who she would never grow tired of being with, the person who made her day better just by being there, the person who made her heart race just by looking at her… the person who was always there for her when no one else was, the person who'd stay up all night talking with her just to make her feel better, the person who…

The person who she loved.

He was the last one that she had to finally say good-bye to. She had saved him for last on purpose. She approached him for the final time, her arms nervously crossed in front of her chest. They nervously made eye contact with one another, not even sure what to say.

"So… I guess this is it," Mike said quietly.

"Yeah," El nodded. It seemed almost surreal. The moving truck and the car had been started, and she was seconds away from going. She looked behind her and saw everyone else exchanging their final goodbyes.

"Hey," Mike whispered, making her look toward him. He planted his hands on her waist and pulled her close. "It's gonna be okay. We'll be alright, right? Thanksgiving isn't that far away." His voice was thick with sadness, but she could tell he was trying to mask it.

"I know," she said softly, trying her hardest to not break down. She gently placed her hand on his cheek, and she saw a single teardrop fall from his eye. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

**Damn. That was a rollercoaster. I hope you guys liked it! Stay posted for the next one.**

**PS. I just posted a Hopper tribute to YouTube. I'm EXTREMELY happy with it, and I think you guys would like it. It would mean the world to me if you were all able to give it a peak. I can't post links here, but if you guys search KMX Projects on YouTube and click on the channel that comes up (it's the first one), it's the most recent video. It's called "Stranger Things: Jim hopper || Heart to Heart." **

**Take it easy, guys :)**


	37. Chapter 37

**Welcome back, everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I've been really busy with online classes, and I was facing some MAJOR writer's block this chapter... this segment kind of acts as a bridge between the move and the next part of the story. There's a lot of jumping around with characters, but there were a lot of people involved in this move that I wanted to cover. Things will start getting more intense in the coming chapters, I have many ideas regarding our friend Troy, and what might be in store for our heroes.**

**Thank you all for the great response from last chapter! I was so happy with the way it turned out and I love that you guys enjoyed it! Hope this chapter entertains you guys as well :)**

**e1evenwhee1er: Thank you so much! I don't have an Instagram where I post my edits, only YouTube. But feel free to subscribe if you want, haha :) I think the next edit I'll make will either be Steve or Billy, but I have no idea when I'll get around to that. I use Sony Vegas Pro to edit my videos. I've been doing well during quarantine... I hope everyone else is, too. Your inquires on Troy will soon be answered, and the coming chapters will get into the Byers adjusting to their new living situation. Hope you enjoy!**

**Jean Sumnerland: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the character development.**

**Hypersushi: Thanks! Hope you like this one.**

**Age Of X: Thank you so much! That's the plan... until season 4 drops ;D**

**Stranger Records: Thank you! So happy that you liked the last chapter.**

**Jbg: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the El and Mike dynamic in the last chapter. That's what I always imagined it being like between them. Both of them clearly had a lot on their minds, and their just teens at the end of the day, so, you know... in response to the future of this story... I will see where the road takes me. I absolutely love this show, and I'd love to see this fic continue until S4 drops, but we'll see how it goes. I'm glad to have you on board :)**

**andy: Thank you! Thanks for reading it!**

**strangerthingslover13: That was the desired reaction, haha... last chapter was definitely challenging to write, but I'm glad that it was able to stir some emotions with you :)**

**Guest: I'm going to have lots of stuff going on in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so there isn't going to be a timeskip. We all love Mileven, don't we? haha. Don't worry, there is lots of stuff down the road for our couple.**

**Shrike176: It was very sad to write, believe me. I'm glad you liked seeing Mileven's perspective that day. It was something that I thought the show was lacking in, and I had this scene in my mind when I started writing this fic. I'm excited to see where the story goes, too! I have so many ideas, I hope you stick around for all of them. So many questions... Thank you for watching the video! I'm glad you liked it. I'm happy that this story is helping you with the quarantine a little bit :)**

**Luna0603: Yes we did... thank you so much! The dynamic between Mileven was certainly difficult to capture, I was having a hard time putting it into words for the story, but I'm very happy you enjoyed it! Hopper's letter was another scene that I always wanted to do since I started writing this, so I'm glad that you like that, too! And me, too! Hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

In the trees far out from their yard, a group of boys sat huddled in the woods, watching the moving van and car pull out of the decrepit looking Byers residence. As they did, the middle one let out a snort of laughter.

"I never knew the freak lived with the faggot," Troy sneered.

"Neither did I," said James. "Do you think they're siblings?" he thought aloud.

"Nah, they can't be. Not real ones, anyway," Troy replied. "We would have seen her in school if they were. At least, you'd think. Maybe they had her in some freak school and she was visiting."

"Maybe."

Troy stood up from his crouching position and started walking into the woods away from the house. The rest of them followed suit. "So what do we do now, Troy?" Daniel asked.

"We do what I've been wanting to do since the beginning of school," he scoffed, as if it was a stupid question.

"But Troy… what if she comes back? What if she still has her powers, and she comes back?"

"Did you even see what I just saw? They were crying like little pussies. She's gonna be gone for a long time. That's what I'm willing to bet," he reasoned. "But if she does come back, we'll make it clear to Mike that he isn't gonna tell her anything."

"How?"

"You'll see," he answered deviously.

"And the plan…?"

"The way things are looking now, it's a go."

* * *

Mike watched the large moving truck and the car pull out of the driveway, a greatly pained expression on his face. The situation was giving him flashbacks to the winter, when El and Hopper had to go off to the lab from the Byers only minutes after she and him were reunited. Except this time, he knew that she wouldn't be coming back, at least not anytime soon. He glanced around him at his friends and saw everyone with similar somber looks across their faces. Nancy appeared to be fighting tears, but without a lot of success. He sympathized with her, knowing that it was probably hard seeing Jonathan go. Dustin's face was stuck in a permanent forlorn frown, which was especially weird to see, because usually he was always the one trying to make a situation happier. But even he was quiet. Beside Dustin was Lucas and Max.

_At least they're still together_, Mike thought bitterly. He cursed himself. Now wasn't the time to be childish. Becoming envious of Lucas and Max was immature and stupid. He was jealous of them, but he was happy for them, too. It was clear to him that they had become a lot closer since the Fourth, and he was grateful that his friends were in a good place.

The group continued to stand there, staring down the road long after the cars disappeared from their sight. No one dared speak for a long time; it appeared as though everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

"We should head out," Dustin finally broke the silence, turning around to go toward the group of bicycles that had been sloppily thrown on the ground at the side of the house. "Don't want the new owners getting here when we're still around."

A series of lighthearted chuckles washed through everyone. _Good old Dustin. _

"Do you guys wanna do something? We still got the rest of the afternoon," Max suggested.

The Party looked at exchanged glances. "Maybe tomorrow," Mike answered quietly. "I just… I gotta go home for a little bit." No one argued. They all knew what was going on inside his head, so they chose to leave him alone.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to head back too," Dustin grumbled sadly. "Not really in the mood right now."

Max looked over at her boyfriend who offered an indifferent shrug. She wasn't surprised by the response of everyone; if she was being honest with herself, she didn't really want to hang out with anyone either. But she didn't want to just leave. There wasn't any need to come off as a bitch right now.

"Take care, guys," Mike said, swinging his leg over his bike to mount it.

"Wait," Lucas blurted. "Let's bike back together, at least." No one could help but crack a small grin, in spite of everything.

After the quiet bike rode home and waving goodbye to his friends before putting away his bike in the garage, Mike was about to put his hand on the doorknob to open the door when he stopped. His hand slowly slid off of the metal sphere and it fell to his side, limp.

Like the rest of his body felt. For some reason, he just didn't want to go inside. He didn't want to look at anyone, not his mom, not his dad, or Nancy or Holly. He just wanted to be alone. But it was nearly guaranteed that his mom was in the kitchen, so he'd have to at least see in her passing.

Oh, well.

Mike inhaled and exhaled deeply and opened the door and walked into the house. His mom was posted in front of the kitchen counter, cutting something on a wooden block. He had figured. She looked up to say hello but her face fell immediately upon looking at him. Mike silently cursed himself for not being able to hide his feelings better. But it _was_ his mom, after all. She was always able to tell everything, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

It only occurred to him how badly he needed to hug someone when her arms were already around him. He stared blankly at the tiled floor, reciprocating the hug but never feeling it. For the first time in a while, all he felt was… emptiness. He felt numb and cold.

El wasn't gone forever. So why was he feeling like this? Maybe it was because he had literally spent nearly every day of the last nine months of his life seeing her and talking to her and touching her? Maybe it was because he loved her more than anything? And now he had to face the next _two months _without seeing her once?

Those were probably the main reasons. And he just couldn't bring himself to actually accept it. He wouldn't even be able to _talk_ to her for the next week or so, because Dustin was still working on that radio tower that he had been talking about last month. He almost felt pathetic, being so dependent on a person that was not himself. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't tear his feelings away from her for just a second. He felt his throat closing up, as well as the tears of anger and frustration and sadness that were _begging_ to be let out.

He forced himself to swallow the lump, breaking away from his mom.

"Do you want to talk, sweetie?" she asked softly.

"Not right now," he replied.

Karen cringed. She could hear the pain in his voice and tone. It never occurred to her that Mike was _this_ close to Will. She knew that it was going to be hard for him to say goodbye to the first friend he ever had, but she had not anticipated this.

"Okay, well just… let me know if you need anything, baby," she said, holding his hand tightly.

Mike nodded. "Okay."

"Promise?"

He felt a twinge in his chest at the mention of the word. He had never been able to help himself from thinking of El when he heard that simple phrase. It always reminded him of that day after they met, when he had been showing her around his house. He had explained to her what a promise was.

"Yeah, I promise."

He gently pulled his hand out of his mom's grasp and turned, starting on his way upstairs toward his room. On his way down the upstairs hall, he passed by Nancy's closed door. She had already gotten home because she had taken the car. Mike pursed his lips thoughtfully.

Perhaps against his better judgment, he raised his arm and gently tapped on her door. "Nance? It's me. Can I come in?"

He heard a sniffle through the thin piece of wood. "Yeah, the door is open."

Mike swung the door open slowly and tentatively, not sure what to expect from his sister. How upset was she? He was about to see, he guessed. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, and turned his gaze toward Nancy. She tore her eyes away from the ground where she had been previously looking, and met her brother's eyes.

Her eyes were red and puffy. She had obviously been crying. "Are you okay?" Mike asked quietly.

Nancy breathed out and shrugged. "I… don't know. I'm just upset," she replied, her voice shaky. She smiled sadly at him. "But I bet you're probably feeling the same thing right now, aren't you?"

Mike shuffled slowly over to her bed and sat down beside her awkwardly. Nancy looked over at him and smirked in spite of herself. "What are you doing, baby brother?"

He looked over at her and chuckled dryly. "What? I can't just come over and hang out with my sister?"

Nancy stared at him for a second before breaking into a wide grin. She wiped her eyes and leaned onto him, resting her head on his shoulder. Which was easier _now_ than it had been a few years ago, because at this point he was a lot bigger than her. "Thanksgiving isn't that far away, right?" she thought aloud, her eyes watery.

A tear slipped out of Mike's eye and he gently pushed her head off of him so that he could look at her. "We'll be okay," he assured her. "At least we've got each other."

They ended up crying together for a long time.

* * *

Will watched the sight of the trees flying by at the side of the road, not sure if the image was blurred because of how fast they were driving, or if it was the teardrops that were still in his eyes. He was sitting in the passenger seat of the car, which was being driven by Jonathan. They hadn't exchanged a word since they pulled out of the driveway over half an hour ago, and if he was honest, he was too lost in thought to even say anything.

It had been hard saying goodbye. Really hard. Harder than he originally thought it was going to be. He had been saying bye to the greatest family he had ever had, after all. There were no other people on the Earth that he felt closer to, and now that he had to come to terms with being away from them… well, it felt weird, to say the least. He wouldn't be getting up tomorrow and going to Hawkins high with all of his friends; he wouldn't even be waking up and seeing them around the neighborhood. In fact, he'd be in a completely new town.

But he couldn't dwell on that now. He had told himself repeatedly over the last few days that he would have to take everything one step at a time. And right now, the first step was just getting to the new town.

Des Moines. It was a city in Iowa, but they were moving into a house into one of the small suburbs outside of the city. Oddly enough, he had never actually seen the house in a photo or anything. For some reason, his Mom was all hung up on it being a "surprise" for them when they got there. Which was fine, he didn't object to it. He doubted that even if he _did_ know what the house looked like, it would alleviate any of his stress. They knew what school he was going to be attending, and Joyce already had a job set up for herself there. Will was fuzzy on the details of it, but he knew that it involved a desk and paperwork, or something. A secretary job, maybe?

Jonathan was looking into going to school but he was taking this year off to save up some money by getting a fulltime job somewhere local. He still wanted to go to NYU, and that required money that he didn't yet have.

And during all of this, the family was going to work together to make sure El would be all caught up on her academics in time for her to join Will in school in the second semester. He knew that she was already pretty far into her prep work; her science and math skills had always been excellent because apparently, she learned those sorts of things in the lab.

But her English, French, geography and history skills were lacking. So she had been working on the textbooks that Hopper had gotten her during her time in the cabin, and as of more recently, Joyce had been getting them for her too. So things were going well with that.

Long story short, they all seemed to be prepared for the journey ahead. The Byers family had taken the proper precautions to ensure that the transition was going to be as smooth as possible. Will knew that his mom was actually feeling confident in herself for once when it came to all of it. He just hoped that this new change of scenery would give her the "fresh start" that she was in need of.

Maybe it would be good for him, too. He'd always have his friends back in Hawkins. The Party. They would never go. Even if they were apart for months, he knew that when he came back, it would be like nothing ever happened. It was true that there were times when he was walking around Hawkins and it would remind him of something. For example, every time he walked in the school field, he'd get a flashback to when he got possessed by the Mindflayer. It was awful. For the first couple of weeks after the incident, he could barely walk into the school because it reminded him of being chased by the Mindflayer through the halls after looking for Dart. At least in this new town, he wouldn't get any flashbacks to the Upside-Down walking around town.

He really just wanted El to be okay. A true sibling bond had been formed between them, and he genuinely wanted to look out for her when she finally started going to school. In addition to that, he didn't want Mike getting mad at him for not protecting her, or something. Although, thinking about El in school made him nervous for a lot of reasons.

What if she just wasn't able to fit in? She had clearly made astronomical steps in her social skills since the beginning. Will had been told by his friends that when they had first met her, she only spoke one-word sentences. But it was easy to tell that she wasn't quite on the same _level_ as everyone else. He imagined that it would be even easier to tell for someone random who didn't know her and was meeting her for the first time.

What if she didn't like school? What if she just couldn't manage to get into the groove of waking up, leaving the house early in the morning, coming back, doing homework… it was very different from the system that she used at home, which was basically just doing everything when she pleased, just as long as everything was done by the end of each week. For Will, the almost ritualistic act of going to school everyday was second nature. It wasn't for El.

Or of course, she could like school, but just not do well in it. Who was to say that, in spite of their exhaustive efforts to help her, she would just catch up to the standard that she needed to be at?

Yet somehow, the worst possibility was something far different, something not even linked to academics.

What if some boy started trying to get with her? That would wreak havoc. El probably wouldn't know how to handle some random dude asking her things like what her name was and "what she was doing tonight." If a guy _did _hit on her, she probably wouldn't even be able to tell. But even worse… and he doubted that she would ever do anything like it… but what if she cheated on Mike? What if she found a guy who she liked, somehow? He shook his head, trying to clear his brain of the thought. It would never happen.

The worst that he'd have to worry about was some creep trying to get in her pants. And he knew that if that happened, that guy would have to either back off, or deal with _him_. Will knew that he wasn't exactly the toughest or strongest person, but if the time came, he knew he would defend El if someone threatened her or tried to do something to her. And he would let Mike know if anything happened, of course. They had had a discussion about it a few weeks prior to them leaving that he remembered distinctly.

They had been at the house, and El had gone to use the bathroom or something, and Mike had approached him. "What's up?" he had asked.

"Not much. Enjoying yourself?" he had humorously responded, knowing fully well that he and El had been making out in her bedroom only minutes ago.

"Uh… yeah," he answered awkwardly. "Speaking of that, could I talk to you a minute?"

Will folded the book in his hands and looked at him directly. "Sure, what's going on?"

"It's, umm… about El," he began. "And her going to your school in that new town."

"Go on."

"I'm worried about her," he blurted, and then checked behind him after, just to ensure that she was still in the bathroom and out of earshot. "I don't want her to have any problems in the new school, and I don't want some other guy to move in on her or something," he explained, his voice more hushed this time.

"I don't think that would happen, Mike," he assured him, nearly scoffing at the idea of El doing _anything_ with another guy.

"What?" Mike quipped, a confused look on his face. "Do you not think other guys would find her attractive? And maybe try to do something?"

"That might happen, yes. But I don't think you have to stress over it because nothing would come out of it. El is loyal to you, you know that."

"Ok, well, besides that… all I want is for her to be okay. Could you just… look out for her? And let me know if anything happens?"

Will's expression turned more serious and he sat up straighter. "Oh, yeah. Of course dude, I will," he answered. "I promise." Mike gave him a gracious smile. "And don't forget, I don't want anything happening to her, either, okay? She's my sister now."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Yeah, for sure. I just… wanted to make sure, I guess. But thanks."

"You're welcome."

And that had been the end of their conversation. Short and to the point. But it had stuck in his mind like glue, that was for sure. He didn't want to let Mike down, and he didn't want to let _himself_ either down by breaking his promise. And most of all, he didn't want to let El down as her brother.

* * *

They had been driving for around two hours, and El was starting to feel the boredom getting to her. Her book had grown tiresome, and she had been looking at the same old forest for what felt like an eternity. She sighed loudly and propped her elbow up on the side of the door and rested her head in the palm of her hand.

"You okay?" Joyce asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes," she replied, still gazing through the window. "Just… bored."

Joyce snuck a glance away from the road and looked toward her adopted daughter. "Is there anything else in your bag?"

El shuffled through her things. She dug under her pile of books that were squished together in her small backpack and pulled out the notebook that she usually liked to draw in. It was the one that Will had given to her that she occasionally liked to draw in. But the road was too bumpy for creating anything worthwhile.

But she was still able to write, she supposed. She had never really tried just writing for pleasure before. It was known to her that some people did write things "journals." Will kept one, and she remembered him explaining it to her one day when she asked what he was doing.

_It's just a book that you write stuff down in. Thoughts, ideas, hopes, dreams… anything. _Maybe it would be a good idea for her to keep one? It could improve her reading and writing skills, which would be beneficial for her when she got into school in a few months. English was still her weakest subject in her homeschooling. Reading could only do so much. Maybe writing would give her some more practise.

On top of that, she always had so many thoughts whirling around in her mind that it often became stressful. Perhaps it would help to just get all of those thoughts out on paper. It wouldn't hurt to try. With a slight amount of hesitation, she placed the tip of her pen on the lined page and started to write.

The longer El spent letting her hand run freely across the page, the more at ease she felt herself becoming. Of course, none of her problems were actually being solved by doing this, she knew that. But it was certainly making her feel less like the world was _spinning_.

When she was feeling content with the work she had done, she closed the book and put the pen back in her bag, and then redirected her attention out of the window once again. Her eyes widened. This time, she was being greeted by a staggering sight of farmland; large fields and rolling hills for as far as the eye could see. She had never seen anything like it, not in Hawkins.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Joyce said, breaking the silence for the first time in a while.

El nodded, not taking her eyes off the outside scenery. "Yes," she agreed.

Joyce snuck a glance out of the corner of her eye toward the girl. "What were you writing in that notebook?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, um… nothing. Just working on my handwriting," she lied as smoothly as she could, hoping Joyce wouldn't press her with any more questions. For some reason, she fancied the idea of keeping her journal private.

"Hm," Joyce hummed. "Okay, well… let me know if you need anything sweetie, okay?"

"Okay," she replied, staring down the road in the direction they were headed. After a few moments, she heard herself asking "we're going to visit them, right?"

"Of course," Joyce confirmed with a glace in her direction. "As much as we can, I promise."

El sighed. "But that's still only on holidays and stuff…"

"Hey, don't worry, El," Joyce comforted, reaching across the car and grabbing El's hand. "Jonathan can drive on his own, maybe the three of you can come for a weekend sometimes. I don't always have to be with you, you know. You guys are getting older. We can explore different options," she suggested "But I promise, I will do _everything _I can to make sure you see them as much as you can. I promise."

El found herself smiling. "Thank you," she said appreciatively, not even sure what else to say.

"You're absolutely welcome, sweetie," she responded, smiling back warmly. They fell silent for a few more minutes before Joyce spoke again. "I know that this was hard for you, El."

El turned toward her. "Sorry?"

"Moving," Joyce clarified. "Believe me, I… I was very hesitant about all this. I've been wanting to move, just me and the boys, for a while, but when we took you in, it… complicated things," she admitted.

El looked at her feet. "I know," she mumbled softly, feeling her chest tighten. "I'm sorry."

Joyce's heart skipped a beat. "Hey, hey, hey, that's not what I meant," she said quickly, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "I'm not mad or anything, baby, okay?"

"But it's t-true," she stuttered, her resolve breaking. "I r-ruin e-everything. Everything th-that happened, it was a-all because of m-me."

The older woman in the car kicked herself mentally, cursing the fact that she had caused this mess. But she was driving, and they were running _really _tight on time. None of them wanted to be arriving at the new house after dark.

"El, shhh, look at me," she said, desperately trying to alleviate her crying. She ran her hand up and down the length of her thigh, trying to calm her down. "Sweetie, you've done so much for this family, okay? You saved Will, you saved me and my boys so many times. You've been nothing but a blessing to us all. You're strong and brave, and…" she trailed off, finding herself looking for the right words. "You're a part of this family, El."

El hiccuped and looked at her, her sobs ceasing. "But-"

"Let me finish," Joyce cut her off. "What I was saying was… when you came to live with us, it complicated things, because I wanted to give my family the best life they deserved, but I wanted to give you the life that you deserved, too. And I know that it was best for _us _to go to Des Moines, but I didn't know if it was best for you," she explained slowly, trying to communicate her feelings as well as possible.

Joyce looked away from the road again and to El, who was still looking at her with wet eyes. "I wanted to make sure that all of you guys have the best life possible," she continued. "That's my job, for heaven's sake. I'm a mother," she laughed to herself. To her relief, the girl beside her also chuckled lightly.

"Starcourt was putting Melvald's out of business and I wasn't able to afford losing my job. And with everything else happening, I knew that… that this was the best option for this family. I knew it, in my heart. And I know that you know that now, too," she told her. It was hard for her to keep her voice steady, but she bit her tongue and continued. "But I know how close you are to your friends. Hawkins is your home. And I know that it will still feel like home for you for a long time. It'll take getting used to. It'll be awhile before any of us can say that Des Moines is our home, because _Hawkins_ still feels like home. I feel the same way.

"But one day, I know that it _will_ be our home. But until then, I still _want_ you to be happy. I don't want to keep you away from Dustin, or Lucas or Max, and especially not Mike. I'm going to try my very best to make sure that you can still see your friends as much as you can. Will and Jonathan, too. Everything is going to be fine."

El was touched. She had never realized that all this time, Joyce had been thinking of her this much. She felt bad for judging her in the past, and thinking that she never cared for her. Because there was a time when she did; when Joyce first told her that they were going, El had been convinced that Joyce _didn't _care about her. Why would she move them out of Hawkins if she had?

But right now, it was clear to her that Joyce had _always _cared about her, even in the beginning. And all she had given to her in response had been lies and attitude and difficulty. El understood that without work, Joyce wouldn't be able to support the family, or _her _for that matter. Everything that she was doing was for the family.

And for her to have done it while everyone was _hating_ her for it must have been _extremely _difficult. In the beginning, when the decision had first been made, even her own _sons_ hated her for it. But Joyce still pushed through and went through with the plan to move her family, because that was what was best for the family.

El exhaled shakily. "I'm s-sorry, Joyce," she said quietly.

Joyce was incredulous."Why?"

"Because, in the beginning…" she cried softly. "I was so… mean to you."

"Well, yeah, but that's okay," Joyce shrugged, biting back a confused laugh. "I would be, too."

"But still," she continued. "And Will and Jonathan, too, we all just got so mad at you about this-"

"Of course, you did," she dismissed. "People act that way when they're upset. But you guys came around, right? We're talking right now, and we're fine," she reasoned.

"I guess…"

"Exactly," Joyce said. "Everything's going to be fine, El. I'll make sure of it."

El could do nothing but nod, finding herself at a loss for words. When Joyce didn't speak either, she let herself zone out, staring ahead blankly. The conversation that had transpired had left her feeling like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She had had no idea how much built-up tension had been existing between the two of them, and it felt like something had just finally been… released.

"Joyce?" she asked, unsureness evident in her tone.

"Yeah, sweetie?" she answered.

"Would it be okay if…" Was this a good idea? _Yes. After everything she's done for you… yes._ "If I called you…'Mom'?"

Joyce had to restrain herself; she could feel tears brimming in her eyelids, but she didn't want to break down and cry in front of El right now. "Nothing would make me happier."

**Alright, that's it for this one. Short compared to the last one... I still can't believe how long it was! The reviews were amazing last chapter guys, I loved reading all of them. Be sure to leave another! Take it easy, guys :)**


	38. Chapter 38

**Yikes. It's 5:30 in the morning! I had to get this chapter out, and I have a busy week ahead of me, so... here we are. This is the first true chapter of the "post move" section of the story, so I'm really excited about this chapter! This one focuses on the Byers. I imagine that in these chapters now, we are either gonna focus only on the Byers and El, or Mike and the gang back in Hawkins. Next chapter will probably be in Hawkins. Thank you so much for all the kind reviews last chapter! I'm loving seeing what all you guys think, and I love replying to them. Keep them coming! enjoy the chapter, you guys :)**

**Machambaman: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the chapter. It was mainly just to bridge the gap between the two parts of the story. The Joyce-El talk was definitely a needed element. They did need closure. And yes, you are right. When the time comes for El to go to school, there will, of course, be problems. But that's for later :)**

**the Mandalorian Terminator: Thank you! I'm so happy that you like the way the characters are written. I try really hard when writing dialogue to imagine the characters in the show saying the same thing. I loved the way it ended, too :) Enjoy the chapter!**

**Jane Eleanor Wheeler: Thanks! Hope you like this one!**

**KennyRogers64: I don't plan on making a storyline that involves the gang looking for Hopper. This isn't Stranger Things 4, after all, haha. This is just a story that shows what goes on in between seasons. Thank you! I hope you like the new chapter.**

**Stranger Records: Thank you!**

**HarleyGrove: Thanks! Enjoy this one, too :)**

**Shrike176: The El-Joyce talk was a very important part of the story. The two characters got off to a rocky start, but after everything that's happened, I think that they finally see each other eye to eye. Will and El is also one of my favorite things to write in this fic! I really hope in S4 they have an actual connection. Especially with Jonathan no longer in school to look out for both of them, Will is going to have to step up at times. I'm glad you liked the Mike and Nancy bit. Their relationship is really understated, and I think that we need more of them. So that was my little tidbit for them. I love that analogy with Troy XD yes, it is a trainwreck. But let's see where it all ends up, shall we? haha**

**Luna0603: Oh my God, thank you! I always get so happy when something I write manages to stir emotions like that. That means so much to me. Very true point on Joyce, there, haha! There are definitely two sides to them moving, and I think they finally understand one another, marking a new point in their relationship. Will is definitely taking on the big brother role, and I love writing it. Will is a strong character, and there is so much room here for him to develop. And yes, you may be on the right track with Troy... only time will tell. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Hypersushi: Amen, brother**

**Jbg: Thank you! Yes, we've got a clean slate to work with. Lots of room to explore. Yes, Joyce and El definitely started out rough because of the move. But after all this time, I think that this drive together was what they needed to finally connect. And Karen remains blissfully ignorant, still... oh, well. Maybe that will change sometime...? Enjoy the chapter :)**

"We're here, El," a female voice said quietly.

El opened her eyes groggily, keeping them close to shut. She looked around, confused as to where she was when she remembered that she was still in the moving truck with Joyce. When she finally fully opened her eyes, she realized it was pretty dark out, the sun having almost dipped below the horizon that she wasn't quite able to make out through all the surrounding trees and houses. The sky was splashed in a beautiful pink-orange color, making everything seem like a dream, as if she was sleeping still.

_I wish this was a dream, _El thought to herself.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Joyce teased once El had gathered her bearings in the passenger seat of the car.

"What time is it?" El yawned, still trying to shake the cobwebs out of her head.

"Close to eight o'clock," she answered. "Have a good nap?"

"Mm-hm," she hummed, rubbing her eyes and turning her attention toward the house in front of her.

It was a nice place; a lot better looking than the old Byers home. She was well aware that the old house had been close to falling apart after decades of wear and tear. This house looked sturdy and well taken care of; the previous owners had definitely maintained it well. The entire house had been constructed with reddish bricks that seemed to match a couple of the other houses on the street. The driveway, in its perfectly empty state, definitely had enough room for three cars. The lawn was nice, but in desperate need of a cut. There was a neat brick pathway leading from the middle of the drive to a wooden staircase that led to a porch where the front door was located. On either side of the porch, nestled in front of the wall were two little fenced off areas with some sparsely planted flowers. El knew that Joyce had been talking about getting more into gardening, so she expected the front garden to look a lot nicer in the future.

The house itself was a bungalow. There was a basement that Joyce had told her about on the way as well, which was a major step up from the previous living arrangement. It meant that everyone would get their own bedroom, which Will and Jonathan were both eager for. On the wall to the right of the house was a large window that opened into what looked like a common area, but it was hard to tell in the dark.

El started and whipped her head back when she heard the sound of a car door slamming behind her. "So this is it," Jonathan thought aloud, putting his hands on his hips and looking around. "Not bad."

Will stepped out of the car and leaned backward with a grunt, stretching. "Jesus, I'm as stiff as a board," he laughed to himself.

"Come on guys, let's get our stuff in," Joyce reminded them. "You can come back outside and look around all you want, but I'm tired and I want to sleep," she said with a chuckle.

It took about an hour, but the Byers family was finally able to get all of their stuff into the house. At least, all the stuff that they were going to need for the night. All the sleeping gear was in the house along with the large number of toiletries that they owned, and some food. The bed frames and mattresses were by far the hardest things to move. The rest of their belongings would be brought in tomorrow, because, as Joyce had put it, "they were all exhausted and needed some rest."

The house was certainly nice, albeit a little bit empty (but that would be fixed soon enough). The front door opened into a small little mud area with a large closet with mirrored doors on the left. Outside the mud area, a hallway opened up going from left to right. To the left was a living room, dining area, and kitchen all arranged in a grid formation. It was very open, with only one proper doorway leading from the living area to the kitchen.

Down to the right from the hall were where three bedrooms were, along with a small bathroom. which were being taken by Will, El, and Joyce. The basement bedroom would be going to be Jonathan because he was the oldest, and deserved more privacy, as Joyce had put it. Which El was fine with. She was just glad that her brothers could have their own spaces now.

The basement was finished. It had carpeted floors and it was really open with some rooms toward the back area, among which was Jonathan's room. There was a second bathroom and a spare room that the family was still trying to think of a use for. There was even a fireplace down there, too, with a chimney that went outside

All in all, things seemed to be shaping up nicely. El was confident that this house could be her new home, and she could learn to enjoy life here. _Minus Mike not being here, _she thought bitterly. She had promised Mike that she'd call his house the next day right in the morning before he left for school. But it would have to be short, because of the long-distance and the fact that he would have to get to school soon after. But as soon as Dustin was able to get that radio tower that they were talking about, they'd be able to talk whenever they wanted, from the comfort of their own homes.

Will would be going to school the day after tomorrow because Joyce still wanted him here for one more day to help unpack and get things settled. She was sort of nervous for Will; he would be going into completely uncharted territory all by himself. And she could sympathize with that. Closing her eyes, she silently prayed to whoever was listening that he'd be okay.

What was even more was that El knew that she would be joining him soon, too. Now _that _was scary. Sure, she was excited to take another step toward finally achieving a normal life. School had been something that she had been itching to start ever since she and Mike got reunited back in November of last year. But with him out of the picture, it just made things seem a lot scarier. Not that she didn't like Will or anything, but there was one problem with him.

He wasn't _Mike. _

El's mind drifted even farther out, thinking of all the _very _heated experiences that the two of them had shared over the past month. Her heart almost raced at the thought of it. They had both gotten pretty accustomed to oral sex. They were both still trying things and learning, and there were still times when something awkward or funny happened, but it had always been magical. Her heart ached at the thought of not even being able to touch him for almost two months. _Two fucking months. _

The final weekend of November. And it was only the first week of October, for God's sake. Not to mention that she wouldn't see Max, either. Or Lucas, or Dustin. She sighed, but not too loudly so as to not wake anyone else up. She was in her own room, but somehow being in such a barren house made her feel exposed. Her own room had a damn echo. She rolled over under the sheets, trying to get comfortable. The pile of discarded clothes on the ground by her bed caught her eye, and she reached down to grab her the shirt she had been wearing. Her hands found the breast pocket of it and she fished out of the crumpled piece of paper, unfolding it in her hands and staring at the messy handwriting. She could barely make out the words, but she knew that it said.

Her chest tightened for the umpteenth time that day, her emotions welling over the piece of paper that she was holding. She had probably read it a thousand times during the car ride. She was confident that she could recite the whole thing out loud if she wanted to. It was just that she was so happy that there was something like this left behind by him… by Hopper. Reading it made her feel loved, it made her feel like a part of him was still around, with her.

"For the sake of your poor, old Dad…" she read the last line out loud to herself in a whisper. She smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek and hit the pillow that her head was resting on.

El was never going to this piece of paper out of her possession for as long as she lived.

* * *

As soon as she was awake, El made a beeline for the kitchen toward the phone. It was seven on the dot, so that meant that Mike would be expecting her to call. She made it into the kitchen and saw the rest of her family already awake; Joyce was frying up some eggs in a pan on the stove, and Jonathan and Will were already seated at the table eating their own food.

"What time is it?" she asked, her fingers already fumbling with the phone.

Joyce glanced upward toward the clock that was hanging above the kitchen door frame. "It's a couple minutes before seven, sweetie," she replied. "Calling Mike?"

"Yes," she responded automatically.

"Wait, hold on," Will said quickly, jumping out of his seat. "Me and Jonathan were waiting for you to wake up, we want in, too."

El laughed. "Okay, well, come over," she told them, just as she brought the phone up to her ear so that she could hear the ring.

It had only been a second when the phone was answered.

"Hello?!" Mike's excited voice came through.

"Mike," she sighed loudly, into the receiver. "It's El."

"I know it's you," he laughed. "Who else would it be?"

"I don't know," she giggled. "I miss you," she said, her voice falling slightly.

"I know," he replied, his tone similar. "I do, too." They were both quiet for a moment, suddenly feeling very wrapped up in feeling sorry for themselves because of the circumstances.

"Um… how was the move? Did you guys get there safe? How are Will and Jonathan doing?"

"It was good," she answered, a smile returning to her face once again. "It's a nice house. We have a basement, now." El continued to describe what the moving process had been like to her boyfriend, sparing not even the slightest detail. She described the house in great depth as well, not wanting Mike to miss a single bit of information.

"I can't wait to see it," he said, his thoughts already taking him to the ver-far-off Thanksgiving when he would _finally _be able to see her again.

"I can't wait, either," El replied, her finger twirling the phone wire.

She was brought back to reality when Will coughed loudly behind her, causing her to jump, startled. "Was that Will?" Mike asked, snorting with laughter.

"Uh, yeah," she said, chuckling. "Jonathan is here, too… is Nancy at the house?"

"Yes, she's glaring at me as we speak," Mike confirmed, biting his lip to hold back his laugh. "I need to leave for school soon… could you pass me over to Will? What? Yes, Nancy, I'm almost- ow, yes, I'm almost done! Jesus…"

El covered the receiver on the phone with her hand and turned to her brothers. "I think Nancy and Mike are beating each other up."

"Wait! No, I'm still here," Mike shouted through the phone quickly. "Nancy just wants me to hurry up."

"Okay, I'll pass you over to Will now-"

"Wait!" Mike exclaimed sharply. He paused. "I… I love you, El."

It took all of El's effort not to melt into a puddle. She would _never _get tired of hearing him say that. "I love you too, Mike," she replied softly, not noticing the rest of her family looking at each other knowingly, feeling incredibly happy for her.

As much as it pained her, El took the phone away from her ear and handed it off to Will, who took it hurriedly. "Hi, loverboy…" he teased Mike, once he had the phone in his hand. El playfully rolled her eyes at him and walked back to her room, leaving them to have their boy-time.

There was a busy day ahead of them, and she knew that once her breakfast was done, there would be a lot to take care of in order to prepare for their new lives.

* * *

"Can I _please _call him again, Mom?" El asked, almost a beg.

Joyce sighed sadly. "I'm sorry sweetie, I wish I could say yes, really," she assured her. "But those phone bills can get really expensive. Can we please try to stick to one a day?"

El huffed in impatience. She didn't want to be a bother to her Mom, and she definitely didn't want to be the source of any financial loss to the family. But almost the entire day had passed, and she was feeling tired and lonely from a day of straight work.

After the four of them had finished eating, it had been non-stop labor to get everything set up in the house. The only break that they had allowed themselves was an hour pit-stop to eat grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. It had taken a long time, and she had been sticky with sweat until she had taken a much-needed shower. They had just wrapped up eating dinner, and she was lounging on the living room couch, feeling astonishingly bored. It was a regular school night, so if she was back in Hawkins, she would have been with Mike right now, probably rolling around on her bed making out or something.

But instead, she was here, and she was not.

"I guess," she surrendered.

"Have you looked through that section in the geography textbook that I told you to read, yet?"

"No," she mumbled.

"Well, maybe you could do that?" she suggested, trying to keep her tone as nice as possible. She wasn't mad at El, not by a longshot, but she could tell that she was on edge, and she did _not _want to push any buttons tonight.

"Okay," El relented, and got up to shuffle toward her bedroom. Once inside, she closed the door and plopped onto her desk chair, slouching in her seat and sighing to herself. She just wanted to _see _him. It didn't matter if she was able to say anything, all she wanted to do was just look at him for just a second.

El's brow furrowed in thought. It had been a while since she tried, and even though her powers didn't work… maybe she'd still be able to access the void? It was doubtful, but she was bored, and, quite frankly, looking for anything to do that didn't involve a textbook.

She fished the black piece of cloth from her backpack, still unsure as to why she even brought it. Wishful thinking that one day her powers would come back, she supposed? _I have no idea, _she thought to herself as she secured the strip of material around her head and over her eyes. Not needing a photo, she folded her hands in front of her and sat down on the floor, cross-legged. She imagined Mike, his face, his body, his features, his being. When nothing happened, she strained her mind even more, to get anything, to get an _inkling _as to whether or not even a _drop _of her powers remained.

"Fuck this!" she spat, and ripped the cloth off her head and ripped it in half in an outburst of pure frustration. But what had she been expecting to happen? Her powers had been completely non-existent for around three months now. Despite what Mike always told her, she seriously doubted that they would ever come back. She had no idea why, but it was just a feeling in her gut…

She knew that the Fourth seriously damaged her body. The scar on her leg was still very nasty looking, the skin all white and creased. _It looks fucking bad-ass, at least_, her friends would always say. But physical wounds aside, it had taken a serious toll on her body on the inside. A part of her had never really felt the same ever since that night; but she had never been able to tell what exactly it was. And of course, her powers were gone. But nothing had _ever _felt right with her ever since that day. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't think they ever would.

El stood up from her seated position and walked toward her bed and collapsed on the sheets, where she fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"You have everything, right, baby?" Joyce called from the kitchen, her voice clearly betraying her nervousness.

"Yes, Mom," Will confirmed, exasperated. "I do. Can I please leave, now? I don't want to be late, you know," he added with a pleasant smile.

"Okay, okay, but I-"

"Mom!"

"_Okay_! Fine, go," Joyce said, waving her arms, shooing him out of the door. "Before I lock you up and never let you out of my sight, or something." El laughed to herself, amused by her mother's constant over-protective nature.

"Good luck, Will!" she called from the dining table.

"Thanks, El!" he yelled back, and then she heard the front door close. She turned her attention back to the History textbook and bowl of Cheerios in front of her, eagerly taking another large spoonful from the breakfast that she had prepared.

When Joyce sat back down at the table, she looked up again. "Are you nervous?" El asked.

"Yes," Joyce replied immediately, drumming her fingers on the tabletop repeatedly. "I don't want anything to happen to him in that new school. I'd homeschool him too, if I could, just to keep him safe."

El's mind flashed back to the conversation she and Will had shared a long time ago, when shey compared notes about being feeling babied and being doubted by everyone around them. She was pretty positive that Will would have been a fan of Joyce worrying about him like this. "He'll be fine, Mom," she assured her. "He can take care of himself." The word _Mom_ still felt slightly foreign on her tongue, but it still felt right. Because, at the end of the day, that's what Joyce had become to her.

Joyce exhaled nervously. "I hope so," she said softly.

It wasn't a far walk to school by any means. Fifteen or so minutes. He had walked the route with Jonathan the previous day, just so that he knew where to go and was somewhat familiar with the surroundings of his new house. It seemed like a nice place. They were in a quiet suburban area, on the outskirts of the city. It was a decently sized high school; he was aware of how tiny everything in Hawkins was, so it didn't come as a surprise to him when he found out that his school had nearly a thousand students.

The area in Des Moines he lived in was called "Oak Lane." It was a small little backdrop to the city with a lot of family houses. It was a little bit like Hawkins, except a little less country-like. And there was a big city nearby, of course. Oak Lane certainly seemed like a pleasant place, but it still wasn't… home.

The local high school came into view from down the street and Will took a deep breath, trying to bring his nerves down. There were droves of students flooding into the doors like schools of fish. _It would be fine. _His mom had been on the phone with the school's office the day before, and clear instructions had been given to him on how to go about the day. He would go to the guidance office and collect his timetable, a teacher would show him to his first class, and then he would have to fend for himself for the rest of the day.

Great.

It wasn't a secret that Will wasn't exactly the pinnacle of confidence, but things had worked out just fine for the first month at Hawkins High. If he just kept his head down and didn't come looking for trouble, trouble probably wouldn't look for him. Right?

Will weaseled himself through the crowds of kids who were bigger than him to finally get into the main area. He looked around, trying to spot where the guidance office could be. He wandered through the foyer and down the hall when he spotted it. _Guidance Office. _

He walked through the set of heavy double doors and found himself in a cozy little office. The secretary sitting at the desk at the back of the room gave him a glance and a polite smile when he walked through the door. "Do you need anything, young man?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," he answered slowly. "I'm a new student here, and I was told to come here to get my timetable."

"Oh! Yes, William Byers, isn't it?" the woman asked, already digging into drawers through stacks of papers.

"Yes," he replied, walking toward her expectantly.

"Yes, we have your name on record right here," she said. "We talked with your mom, last night, right?"

"I think so," he answered.

"Here's your timetable," she said, producing a piece of paper. "The room numbers are listed right below the course names. We were in communication with your school back in Hawkins, so we know what courses you had. You have the same ones right now, but the order's been shuffled around a little bit. I hope that's okay," she joked.

"Yeah, it's fine," Will answered, already looking at the timetable. "Um, I was also told that someone would bring me to my first class?"

"That would be me," the woman exclaimed excitedly, already getting out of her chair. She walked out of the office and Will followed her, not wanting to dawdle at all. The women made some small talk on the way down the empty corridor. All of the students were already in class. _Which means that I'll have to walk in and disturb the class, bringing _all _attention on _me.

"This is your stop," she stated, motioning with her hand toward the door. "This will be your homeroom class for the rest of the semester, math."

Will nodded to himself. "Okay," he acknowledged. "Thank you, um-"

"Ms. Bridgeford," the woman finished. "Here, let me just…" She knocked on the door. "The teacher should already be expecting you, so don't worry."

"Thank you, miss," Will said with a polite smile. The woman smiled once more and turned on her heel to make her way back to the office. The classroom door swung open, and a large, dark-skinned man with thick glasses and a shirt and tie stepped into view.

"Ah! You must be William," the man said. He extended his hand promptly. "I'm Mr. Matthews. It's nice to meet you."

"Thanks, you too," Will answered automatically, feeling rather anxious to just take a seat and get going with the class. He didn't like everyone looking at him, clearly sizing him up, being the new kid.

"You'll be sitting over there, in between Sophia and James," Mr. Matthews instructed, pointing toward a desk near the back of the class. The desks were all arranged in a grid formation, everyone having their own little space. Will preferred that over sitting in groups; he was always more comfortable by himself.

Will walked to his desk and gave a flick of his chin toward James when he nodded hello at him. No one else in the class gave him a second glance, which he was thankful for. He opened up his backpack and slid his binder into the desk storage space, and took out a fresh piece of paper, already writing down notes from the blackboard.

The class went by smoothly. Thankfully, whatever schedule this class was following in terms of the curriculum must have been the same as his old class. He never had any problems in math, so the lesson flew by, followed by English, and then he found himself in the cafeteria eating lunch an hour and a half later.

He was able to navigate through the halls and between the crowds of kids in the caf to get to a table by himself in the corner of the large room where it was relatively quieter than the rest of the place. It was a zoo, as far as he was concerned. _Maybe I should try eating outside, more, or something_, he thought to himself as he sat down.

"Hey, dude," a male voice said, breaking his train of thought. Will looked up and saw a boy standing in front of him, a friendly expression on his face. He had dusty brown hair that swept in front of his brown eyes a little bit, and had a lot of freckles. He was about Will's height, and he was wearing a pair of jeans and a GAP sweater. "Is anyone sitting here?" He pointed toward the chair across the table from where he was sitting.

"Nope," Will replied, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked awkwardly.

Will shrugged. "Not at all." The boy grinned and sat down at the chair in front of him, digging through his bag and producing a red lunch bag. He took what looked to be a peanut butter sandwich with the crusts cut off. He took off the layer of plastic that was neatly wrapped around it and bit into it.

"I'm in your math class," he stated. "I sit a couple seats to the left of you."

"Oh, yeah?" Will raised his eyebrows. "What's your name?"

"Spencer," he answered. "What about you?"

"Will."

Spencer extended an arm across the table with an open hand. "Nice to meet you, Will," he said warmly, despite thus far having a rather monotonous voice.

Will reciprocate the gesture. "You too, Spencer." They shook hands and sat back down in their respective seats.

"Where are you from?" Spencer asked, opening a container from his lunch that contained a handful of sliced peppers and cucumbers, cut into nearly identically-shaped pieces.

"Hawkins," he replied. "You probably haven't heard of it before though, am I right?"

"Hawkins? Of course, I've heard of it," Spencer scoffed. "The fire at that mall kind of put in the spotlight for a while, didn't it?"

Will held back a cringe. Thinking about that day did not bring him much pleasure. He really didn't want to talk about it, but he decided that it was worth it because it seemed like he was actually making a proper friend, and he didn't want to give that up. "Oh, yeah… I forgot about that," Will chuckled dryly. "Yeah, it was, um… things were interesting in July."

"Yes, all that government stuff, I was watching the news a ton," he recalled animatedly, suddenly a _lot_ more excited then he had been when the conversation started. "And the rumors about that Kline guy, and that old lab that was being talked about, like, half a year ago… it seems like a crazy place to live!"

"Yup," Will answered, his tone flat. He looked around the cafeteria, looking at all of the other kids around the area. "Um, is this kind of stuff talked about a lot around here?" he asked. "I never really left town much."

"About Hawkins? I mean, some people do. Back when it was still big news in the summer, it was all everyone was talking about. But everyone in the school probably knows about it to some degree," Spencer explained.

Will couldn't ignore the fact that his heart was suddenly hammering in his chest. Was this what it was like everywhere? He was five freaking hours away from Hawkins, and it seemed like even here and now, the Fourth was still a hot topic. What else did people know? Were there rumors about El?

"What else have you heard about it?" Will asked as casually as he could.

"Not much," Spencer admitted. "I've always been into politics, so all that stuff with that Kline guy was what got me into it. But I've also heard some other stuff, though. Weird rumors about that lab."

"Like what?"

Spencer looked at him from across the table, his eyebrow raised. "You're asking a lot of questions. Is something wrong?" he questioned.

"What?" Will asked quickly, feeling jumpy. But then it occurred to him that Spencer probably felt like he was being interviewed at this point. "Sorry about all the questions," he apologized. "I just… I'm curious about what people who aren't from Hawkins think about… Hawkins."

"Oh, sorry. I've found that when people ask a lot of questions, they're confused or upset," he explained, sounding rather robotic again. He exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I mean… one of my other friends knows a guy who knows a guy whose uncle runs that store that had their door shattered. By that bald girl with the powers and stuff," he chuckled. "I don't know if I believe all that, though." He folded his hands behind his head, observing the rather disturbed expression on Will's face.

"So… you guys have heard about that?" Will questioned, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Spencer's eyes widened. "Wait, it's true?" He leaned forward across the table.

"No, no, no," Will replied hurriedly, shaking his head. "I just mean… you've heard those rumors, too?"

"Uh-huh."

Will suddenly felt like the cafeteria was shrinking. "Sorry, I have to… use the bathroom. I'll be right back," he excused himself. Not waiting for an answer, he quickly gathered his lunch up and stuffed blindly into his backpack, and took off toward the way he came.

He was barely able to get through the door into the hallway when three other boys approached him, their faces menacing-looking. And they were looking right at him, too.

Will clenched his jaw and pretended like he didn't see them, and started walking the opposite direction in hopes to find a restroom. "Yo!" one of them called. He was facing away from them, so he wasn't completely sure if he was talking to him, or someone else.

"Yo, kid!" The voice was louder, obviously they were closer to him. Closing his eyes and muttering under his breath, he turned around and found himself face to face with two boys. They were both a few inches taller than him, which wasn't saying much because a lot of people were. The one on the left was wearing a zip-up hoodie and black jeans, with hair buzzed down nearly to the skin. The guy on the right was in a t-shirt and sweatpants, and was wearing a baseball cap.

They were both staring at him expectantly, as if he was supposed to say something. "What?" he asked, finally losing patience with them.

"Oh, we just wanted to hear your reason," the guy in the t-shirt said, shrugging.

"Reason for what?" Will asked slowly, being careful with his words.

The guy in the hoodie scoffed. "For hanging out with that fucking retard," he said sharply, as if was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You mean Spencer?" Will asked, his temper flaring. Why would these kids call him that? He had seemed to be a really good kid. "Why not?"

The two boys looked at each other and snickered. "What, are you new here or something?" hoodie-guy asked while t-shirt-guy snorted.

"This is my first day here," Will replied indignantly.

"Oh, well, that explains it," hoodie-guy said, looking over at t-shirt-guy. "Well, new kid, here's a tip for you. Don't hang out with the retard."

"Why do you keep calling him that?" Will blurted, not able to restrain himself any longer.

"Were you not just talking to him?" t-shirt-guy questioned, his voice dripping with condescension. "You noticed how he talked like some fucking robot with a stick up its ass?"

That was true. Will noticed that Spencer had, at times, sound kind of robotic. Like he had been reading lines from a script, or something. But he wouldn't have compared him to a robot with a stick up its ass, whatever that meant. "Okay, what's your point?"

"Jesus Christ, kid. Are you special, too?" hoodie-guy spat. "He's fucking autistic. But based on this conversation, it seems like you guys are a match made in fucking heaven." T-shirt-guy cackled when he heard his friend make the joke.

Will squinted his eyes. "I'll keep it in mind," he said coolly.

Hoodie-guy scrowled. "Yeah, you will. We wouldn't want you hanging out with a kid who has a mental disease."

Will held his ground, glaring at the two boys, his gaze unwavering. "I think I'll decide what I want, not you jack-asses."

The two boys both barked in laughter, and continued doing so as Will turned around to proceed to the bathroom. "Okay, faggot!" one of them hollered once he was a couple more steps away. "Have fun hanging with the retard, retard!"

**And that's the chapter. Two quick things: yes, Spencer is actually autistic. I'm not a doctor, so I'm sorry if there are things that I don't get right about autism. I'm actually basing Spencer off of a friend I had in elementary school. He always talked kind of like a robot, except for when he got excited, and he was very particular with things like his food (Hence the neatly cut vegetables and sandwich with no crust, etc). But, like Spencer, he was really nice and we hung out often. **

**Lastly, I've decided that Hopper has no place in this fic. This story was and still is focused on our characters who still live in North America. But, I still really want to write about Hopper. That's why I've decided that I'm going to start a new fic soon, one that focuses on only Hopper. It will be updated less frequently, and DEFINITELY won't be as long as this one. And don't worry, it won't take away from What Comes After. This is just something that I thought would be fun to do on the side.**

**It's going to be gritty and tough and grueling, and I have so many ideas for it. So, if any of you are interested in that, be on the lookout and maybe give my profile a follow if you want an email when I post it. Anyway, take care guys! the sun is shining through my bedroom window which means I need to fucking sleep. Take it easy :) **


	39. Chapter 39

**Hello, everyone! Welcome to Chapter 39... I can't believe we are one away from forty! I apologize for the wait with this one. I've been busy with other things in my personal life, but I was able to squeeze this one out this afternoon. We have some more trouble for our beloved characters in this one, so brace yourselves...**

**Mikeleven83: Thank you! **

**KennyRogers02: I can tell you for sure that El will _not _be getting her powers back in this fic outright. However, I can't promise that there won't be any hints or small little teases that her powers are still around. I have an idea for a later chapter that does involve her powers. I'm looking forward to writing it :) And thank you! I'm glad that the OC characters are connecting with you.**

**Jbg: Thank you so much! I'm toying with some ideas about Karen's future in this story, there may be some ways that I incorporate her into the story in the future. And that's such a coincidence! If you see me getting anything wrong in this story, please tell me, just for my own benefit. I'd love to hear your thoughts on future chapters when it comes to this. Take care :)**

**Shrike176: I knoww :( El can never get a break, can she? There's definitely a lot of thoughts going on with her, especially with her new family, Mike, etc. She's a very in-depth character. Will's first day was interesting, but I'm looking forward to exploring him and Spencer's dynamic. And the phone call stuff is really over my head, all I know is that by Christmas time they'll be able to talk to each other freely XD Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Luna0603: Thank you! Spencer is an interesting dude, but there's nothing suspicious about him. He just really enjoys following news and politics, haha. The phone call situation is tough, I agree. I can't say that these next few chapters will be exactly chock-full of Mileven, but I can promise that when Thanksgiving comes, it will be Mileven-central :) Thanks for the review on _Trapped_, I'm probably going to start working on the next chapter soon! **

**the Mandalorian terminator: Thanks! I look forward to developing Joyce and El more in this fic. We will have to see how things go in school for Will and his new friend, though. Enjoy the chapter! **

The days following the move had been long and slow. It seemed as though with El's absence in his life, things were so _dull. _Mike missed being able to look forward to going to the cabin after school, or just spending the entire afternoon with her in the Byers house. Now it was just one measly phone call a day, and it was killing him. And the worst part was that he couldn't just tell himself to not worry about it because "he'd be seeing her on the weekend," or something. He'd be seeing her at Thanksgiving, nearly a month away.

On top of that, it seemed as though Troy had gotten nastier to him. Thankfully it was Friday, so he'd have two days to get a break from it. They had started a basketball unit in gym, and while Mike was a good runner, he couldn't play basketball (or most sports, for that matter) for shit. And Troy had made it his mission to point out every mistake and fumble he made. It had made things a lot more annoying, especially in the locker room.

At least he and his goons seemed to be leaving the rest of his friends alone. Although, they had been since the semester started. They shared no courses with Troy, and his friends really only seemed to do anything when he was around. From what he saw, it seemed like they occupied their break by smoking cigarettes behind the school.

The saving grace of the week was Dustin. He had told him the other day that the radio tower he had been working on was ready to be installed. It would be going in the backyard, and his Mom had already given the thumbs-up. But there had been a drawback, unfortunately. He would have to wait until the visit at Thanksgiving to get the radio tower installed at the Byers house. So they would have to rely on his "once-a-day" phone call with El. Which was growing quite tedious. It was hard to have an enjoyable conversation with the girl you love with your sister breathing down your neck and your Mom staring at you expectantly, waiting to hang up the phone because "the long-distance calls are expensive, Michael."

Mike's classes were also going very well, though (so far). He had gotten a math test back recently and got nearly perfect on it. His grade had been the highest in the class, but thankfully not many kids were eager to talk about their marks. He didn't want to be known as the "nerd" as he had been in middle school.

Although, it was like Max said; nobody seemed to care. Everyone just did their own thing, and he seemed to be left alone. _Thank God. _So what if people knew he was smart? A month into the semester, and it seemed evident that there were no Troys in any of his other classes. The only time he ever had to deal with shit in school was his final period of the day, gym.

His train of thought came to an end when he opened his front door and stepped into the house. It was a lot warmer in the house; the weather had been gradually cooling down for the last month. It was definitely sweater weather. Halloween was coming in a few weeks, too, which was sort of exciting.

"Hi, Michael," his mom greeted him when he walked into the living room. "How was your day?"

"Normal," he replied, his voice flat. "The same reply I give you every day, Mom," he added, a hint of attitude in his voice.

Karen raised her eyebrows. She was more than accustomed to living with a sarcastic teenage boy; she had been since he was thirteen. Karen had been a teenager once, she was familiar with their tendencies. She raised her hands in the air in mock surrender and shrugged. "Okay, okay," she replied dismissively. "Dinner will be on the table in a couple of hours, alright?"

"Yup," Mike deadpanned, already walking up the stairs to his room. He had barely even heard what she had said, but didn't really care. He quickly walked upstairs and let his schoolbag drop on the floor, and closed the door louder than he had intended.

Mike had no idea why, but he was finding himself… upset. Pissed off. At everything. At life, at school, at Troy, at whatever. But at the same time, he couldn't for the life of him identify one single exact thing that was causing him to feel this way. Under normal circumstances, the thing that he would do to cheer himself up or get his mind off things was talking to El. But of course, that wasn't an option.

The whole damn week had been like this; it felt like everything was moving in slow motion, and it had been that way since the Byers had left. Even with Will gone, it felt like some key part of the party was missing. Especially considering that, arguably, he was his best friend. They had been inseparable ever since kindergarten (besides that period of time with El and all that drama). Every since the swing set in kindergarten.

He wasn't sure if the rest of the Party shared similar sentiments, but he had a feeling that they did. Things had definitely been slightly...awkward? Different? He wasn't quite sure what word to use. But the dynamic had definitely shifted between all of them, and maybe for the worse. It was odd, and he didn't like it. It felt like everyone was being pulled apart.

* * *

Lucas lay in his bed, beside Max, breathing heavily. They had been… doing stuff. Not sex. They weren't at that point yet. But they had been doing a lot more experimenting, more exploring. It was nice, but unfortunately not a frequent activity. Mainly because Max's house was constantly off-limits for them, but that wasn't because of Neil anymore. Max was just scared to bring Lucas up with her Mom.

And Lucas had really strict parents that he really didn't want to talk about a girlfriend with. But now that they were in high school, maybe they could start talking about being more open to their parents with their relationship.

He'd talk about it later with Max, though. There was a deeper issue on his mind currently. In fact, there had been something on his mind for the last week. It was just… he felt weird. Ever since the Byers and El moved away, the Party had felt… broken. Kind of. He wasn't sure exactly why it was, but whenever they hung out now it felt like there was a piece of the puzzle missing. He hadn't anticipated what them moving would do to the group.

Maybe they were all just caught up in their own feelings. Surely it wouldn't be like this permanently, right? Things would get better.

"Are you okay?" Max's voice cut through his train of thought suddenly. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked beside him, and met Max's deep blue eyes, a concerned glint in them.

"What do you mean?" he asked, feigning confusion.

Max gave him a look at said _really? _"You've been silent for like ten minutes. What're you thinking about?" she pressed.

"Ten minutes?" Lucas repeated in disbelief. "We've been lying here for that long?"

"Well, yeah, since we… finished," she replied, smiling with a hint of mischief at the thought of what they had been up to before. "So?" she asked again when he didn't immediately reply.

"I've been thinking about… stuff," Lucas sighed, folding his hands behind his head and leaning against the backboard of his bed. Max pulled the sheets up to cover her naked breasts and scootched closer to him.

"What stuff?"

Lucas shrugged, staring into space. "Have you felt that… ever since Will and El left,

everyone always seems so sad and upset? Everything feels so… depressing," he explained.

Max looked incredulous. "What, are you _not _upset?" she questioned.

"No, no, no," he clarified hurriedly. "I just don't like how everything seems so… different. It feels like someone died or something, and no one is talking about it."

Max puffed out her cheeks and exhaled, snuggling closer into Lucas's torso. "I know, but I guess it'll just take time to get used to. I mean, I was never really close to Will or anything, but it sucks that El is gone. She was like, the only girlfriend I had in this town. Things are bound to be kind of… emotional, I guess."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders again. "I guess so," he murmured. "I just wish that none of this ever had to happen."

"I know," Max agreed, her voice soft. "I guess we'll see how next week goes. Hopefully, things look up."

"And what if they don't?"

Max looked at Lucas. "They will, okay? It's only been less than a week. Things will go back to normal soon."

* * *

It was Monday morning, and Mike was not looking forward to going to school. His weekend had been sluggish, mostly filled with homework and helping Dustin install the radio tower in his yard, which had been an astronomical undertaking. Dustin had shown him how to operate it himself and how it worked so that he would know how to fix something, should something go wrong. It had been kind of bittersweet setting it up; it gave him a glimpse that one day that he'd be able to talk to El for as long as he wanted. But at the same time he knew it would be months before they could actually do that, which left an overwhelmingly sour taste in his mouth.

Speaking of sour… school. _Ugh. _Another week of quiet lunches with the party, blinding amounts of homework, and endless berating from Troy and his goons. Which only seemed to get worse with every passing day ever since the move happened. Quite a coincidence, when he thought about it.

He inhaled his breakfast of Eggos (he couldn't help but think about El as he ate them), eagerly waiting for the phone to ring. He had been getting up extra early to make more time for him and El to talk, in spite of his Mom's constant complaints regarding the long-distance charges that they would be getting. Whatever. _As long as I get to talk to her._

As if on queue, the high pitched shrill of the phone sounded from the wall by the edge of the kitchen and Mike was up in a flash to answer it. "Careful, Mike," Karen absent-mindedly called from the living room. "You don't want to twist your ankle running across the house…"

"Okay, Mom," Mike replied with an eye roll, already taking the phone off the hook on the wall and putting it to his ear. "Hello?" he said, his tone changing instantly, anticipating the voice on the other line.

"Hey, you," El greeted. Mike could practically hear the smile on her face.

"El," he replied, his heart clenching. She always felt so close, yet so far during moments like these. "I miss you."

El giggled. "That's the first thing you say every day," she pointed out.

Mike smiled sadly. "I know," he said. "I just can't help it."

He heard El sigh on the other end. "Me, too." There was a pause. "How was your week ?"

Mike exhaled and rubbed his fingers up and down the phone wire. "Uhh… okay," he finally replied after a slight amount of hesitation.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice laced with worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Mike replied hurriedly. He didn't want her worrying over him. El was the one who was in the toughest situation out of everyone. It seemed stupid to even compare his hardships to her.

"Friends don't lie," she stated, the famous line instantly registering in Mike's mind.

"Nothing is wrong, really, I guess… things have just been hard, El. Without you. And Will. It feels like everything is falling apart."

"What do you mean?"

Mike suddenly felt everything from the week flood into his mind, clouding his vision. All the aching and pain and the missing his best friend and El was so strong it almost knocked him over. He found himself fighting tears as he spoke. "Everyone is so quiet all the time, El. Eating lunch with everyone is like… silent. And Troy won't leave me alone either-"

"Troy? What's going on with Troy?" El interrupted him, feeling a fire in her veins, vividly remembering how he almost killed Mike all that time ago.

"He's just being his regular asshole self, is all," he muttered, rubbing his wet eyes. He looked behind him to double-check his mom wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation. He always had to remain extra wary when he spoke on the phone with his girlfriend because his mom still didn't even know about El's existence. Not to mention he didn't fancy the idea of his mom catching him crying. But thankfully, usually his mom went upstairs when him and Nancy talked on the phone to give them privacy.

"But I thought that he had been leaving you alone mostly since school started?" she asked.

"He was," Mike admitted. "But ever since you left, he's just been up my ass every gym period."

"Have you been-"

"I've been trying to handle it, yes," he cut her off, almost snapping at her. "But they don't care. And there's only so many times that I can be like 'yeah, well, remember when that girl broke your arm?' Or 'remember when you pissed yourself?'"

El didn't even know what to say. "Well-"

"And it's not like the class hasn't figured out that I'm the guy who can't play sports for shit," he continued, his voice rising. "Sure, I can run pretty well and do a fair amount of push-ups, but I'm a joke compared to everyone else in actual team sports. And everyone's recognized by now that Troy is the best, so they all like him now-"

"Mike, stop," El interrupted him firmly. Mike halted mid-word like a car hitting a brick wall. "I know I've never been to school, so I don't know exactly what you're going through, but I do know that you need to do something about Troy. Like, actually do something."

Mike's mouth dropped open slightly. Was she suggesting that he fight Troy, or something? "What do you mean?" he questioned.

El was quiet for a second. "I don't know, punch him or something. _Hard. _Hurt him," her voice had fire in it, he could hear it. It didn't often come out, but when it did, it was obvious. And kind of scary, too, if he was honest.

"El, I can't do that, he'd kill me," he replied matter-of-factly. "He's probably forty pounds heavier than me."

"So punch him hard enough that he won't be able to hit you back," she said coldly through gritted teeth.

"And what, get expelled from the school? My parents would kill me!"

"No, they wouldn't. They'd probably be happy for you for being hurting that… piece of fucking shit," she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

Mike sighed. "I don't know… he'd probably end up hurting me worse."

"It's better than dealing with this for the rest of the semester, Mike," she said flatly.

_She has a point, I guess_, Mike thought. "I'll… try to do something. I promise," he resolved. And he was serious. _I think. _

"What did you say about everyone else?" El asked, remembering what her boyfriend had also said.

"Oh, yeah…" Mike said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, it'll probably pass. Everyone's just been feeling really… distant, I guess. From everyone. It's like something changed. Well, something did change, but like, everything is so… sad now. It always feels like everyone is upset."

El pondered for a moment. She had understood when her and Will left that it would shift the dynamic in the party. They had essentially decreased the number of Party members in Hawkins by a third. But she didn't like to hear that everyone was also suffering. She had been thinking the whole time that she was the only one who had been upset. It was kind of comforting to know that she wasn't the only one dealing with these emotions, but at the same time, she didn't want the rest of her friends to be in any kind of pain.

"I understand," she finally replied. "It's like that here, too. Jonathan and Will, they've been… distant. But I think it's just… people are getting used to it, is all."

"Adjusting, yeah," Mike agreed. "I hope."

* * *

Mike came to the lunch table along with Dustin, Lucas, and Max, already feeling the unsettling sense of incompleteness as he sat down. "Hey," he casually greeted, his voice plain.

"Hey," Lucas and Dustin both said at the same time, and Max merely nodded at him through a mouth full of food.

"How was your guys' mornings?" Lucas asked.

"Fine," Dustin replied, not saying anything else.

"It was okay," Mike answered. He knew only a few hours ago he had been telling El about how somber everything had been between the Party since they left. The logical thing to do was for him to try to start some conversation. He fully acknowledged that, for sure. But it was just that he found himself not even _wanting _to talk. It wasn't known to him why; maybe because no one seemed to be in the mood. But it wasn't like he really had anything to say. It was like he had told El: something was different now.

Maybe it was just him, but Max and Lucas seemed to talk a lot less nowadays. Maybe it was just when him and Dustin were around. He knew that they still hung out pretty frequently, just the two of them. So they were probably still doing fine. He hoped, for both of their sakes, that this was the case.

"I got an eighty on my math test from last week," Max announced proudly. "The one that you helped me study for, Stalker," she added, a teasing smile playing at her lips.

"Oh, that's great!" Lucas replied, beaming. Mike looked at Max, and they shared a happy expression for a brief moment before she turned back Lucas. Max's strong suit wasn't really academics, but after failing her first test, she had vowed to start trying harder in school and studying more (which Lucas had been happy to assist her with). Mike was proud of his friend.

"Wow, good job," Dustin said, his voice mocking. "You got a passing grade for once."

The table fell silent as everyone turned to Dustin. "Excuse me?" Max asked incredulously. Mike furrowed his brow and continued to stare at his friend beside him, bewildered. Had he heard that right? Had Dustin actually said that?

"What, did you not hear me?" he snapped again, leaning forward in his chair. He squinted his eyes challengingly. "No one cares about your fucking eighty on simple math quiz."

Lucas's jaw dropped and he stared at his friend, bewildered. "Do you have a stick up your ass or something, Dustin?" Max seethed, her expression growing darker by the second.

"No, I don't, I've just gotten sick of your constant whining about math. And now that you finally have a good grade, it's like it's your favorite subject or something."

Max scoffed. "I didn't even say that! I was just-"

"Okay, hold on!" Lucas interjected loudly. "Let me cut things off right here."

The redhead stopped mid-sentence, but continued glaring at Dustin, her eyes ablaze. The

only person who she would ever let interrupt her like that was Lucas, so she stayed quiet, wanting to at least hear what he had to say. "Look, I'm not gonna sit here and listen to this shit," he said. "But Dustin, what the fuck?"

Dustin barked in laughter, clearly forced and sarcastic. "And now you're gonna suck up to your girlfriend, right?"

Now it was Lucas's turn to scoff. "What the hell do you even mean? You're being a dickhead!"

"No, I'm not! All I'm doing is calling out Max's bullshit!"

"What you're doing is being an ass!"

The table interrupted into chaos, and soon Dustin, Lucas and Max were yelling at each other like banshees, with Mike sitting in the background, staring at it all with wide eyes. It was like the goddamn twilight zone. The Party had gone from closer than ever to practically enemies in not even two weeks. As things escalated, Mike found himself getting more and more angry and frustrated.

Eventually, it became too much. With emotion practically bursting at the seams, he slammed his hands down on the tabletop abruptly so hard that the table shook. "SHUT UP!" he screamed so loud that all the conversation in the cafeteria lulled for a moment as everyone turned to look at the cause of the ruckus.

Mike was breathing hard, not even able to focus on any one particular point. He ground his teeth and stared at the table, trying to ignore the throbbing in his hands. "Shut up," he repeated again, more softly, his voice breaking. He couldn't find it in him to continue speaking.

He got up and left the cafeteria, leaving the rest of his friends in stunned silence.

The rest of Mike's lunch period was spent walking aimlessly around outside, lost in thought. He had witnessed his friends turn on each other like a pack of savage, starving dogs. It had been horrible. He was hoping that it was just Dustin having a bad day, but the truth of the matter was that they were all having days. It had felt like nothing _but _bad days (for at least him) ever since the move.

At least last week, they hadn't been fighting each other like a bunch of animals. He would have preferred stony silence over what he had just seen. He wanted to go back and see what was happening between them, but the thought of being with anyone but himself made him want to scream.

At the end of the day, Lucas and Dustin would have to shake. That was the rule of law, the rule of the Party. And the Party would always stay together no matter what. Right?

Mike shook his head to himself. Of course, he was right. Nothing on God's green Earth would separate the Party, he was positive. They had been through too much together to ever be broken apart. They were just going through a difficult time. They would be able to get through this. It would just take some effort.

El and Mike had fought before, and they came out fine. All it took was them both understanding each other, some conversation, space, and time. If he was able to have just those things with the rest of his friends, then he was sure that the problems they had been having would be resolved. It seemed so simple, but yet he was still worried that it wouldn't be doable, somehow.

He knew what would have made the situation better for him. All the stress he had been dealing with recently, it would have all been better if El was here. He was always able to talk to her about his problems, and somehow she would just make everything seem okay. She gave him strength and courage. And right now, everything seemed so distant without her.

That just meant that he would have to be strong on his own. He'd have to deal with this with the friends that were here. "Get a grip, Mike," he muttered to himself. There was no way that he couldn't get through this. He and the Party would just have to learn to live without Will and El in their lives every day. There was nothing impossible about that. Change was a part of life, and they would just have to accept this particular change. Together. Eventually.

* * *

Mike ran off the bench and into the center of the gym for the tip-off for the gyms class' basketball game. It was the starting draw, and of course, the other team had Troy taking the tip-off. When he saw Mike approaching to face off against him, he laughed. "Your team chose you?" he sneered.

"I'm the tallest," Mike replied curtly. "Taller than you," he added with a hint of confidence.

"Let's see who wins, then," he growled, cracking his knuckles. He adjusted his feet and bent his knees, and Mike did the same when he got to the center of the court. The ball popped up and as soon as it started on its way back down, Mike jumped as high as he could and knocked the ball just enough to send it back toward his teammates.

"Fuck!" Troy hissed, and he ran backward to resume his position among his teammates.

While Mike was pleased with himself for winning the draw, he knew the victory was short-lived. He had the height advantage over everyone in his class, and a vertical to match it, but as he had pointed out many times before, team sports (especially basketball) were not his forte.

The ball was currently in possession of one of Mike's teammates, who was playing defense. He passed it over to another student on his team, but Troy lunged out of nowhere and intercepted the pass. He effortlessly dribbled around everyone in the gym and executed a perfect lay-up, and the ball found its way through the net, scoring a point for his team.

As Troy high-fived on of his buddies, he gave a menacing and condescending sneer toward Mike. He furrowed his brow. He hadn't even been near Troy. Why was he already throwing him stink-eyes?

Mike shook his head to himself. _Only another hour or so. Just be a wallflower._ "Mike!" a voice called from beside him. It was one of his teammates. "Can you start?"

Mike tried to his inside grimace. "I guess…" he muttered quietly, sticking his hands up to receive the pass. The boy bounced the ball across the floor between them, and he caught it. Mike scanned the gym, looking for an open person to pass to.

"C'mon, Wheeler, we don't got all week!" Troy jeered from the halfway line. The rest of his team snickered in response.

Mike nodded, feeling slightly flustered. He also didn't like team games because there were many times when he felt like he was alone up against a unit of five or six people. This was one of the moments, it seemed like the rest of his teammates had just faded away.

"Mike, here!" a kid named Ryan yelled as he started running across the gym floor. Mike did his best to predict where he was heading and threw the ball accordingly. But it was a little bit to slow and ended up going behind Ryan by a couple of feet.

"What the hell, man?" he called, throwing his arms in the air out of frustration.

"Sorry!" Mike called awkwardly, kicking himself for such a lousy pass.

"What did you expect, Ryan? It's fucking Mike, after all," he continued to carry on, drawing out more chuckles from the rest of the class.

"Watch the attitude, boy," the teacher called, eying Troy intensely. He rolled his eyes but quieted down, turning his attention to the ongoing game. He raised his arms indicating that he was open, and the ball was passed to him promptly (everyone knew very well that Troy was the best person on their team).

He dribbled the ball a little bit before starting on a jog down the side of the court. Mike's first idea was to stay at the sideline and avoid Troy so he could just make it to the end of the period. But then the prior phone call with El from the morning echoed in his mind. _Stand up to him._

Mike inhaled deeply and shook his shoulders out. He jogged from his position under the net to near the left side of the court where he was guessing Troy would be crossing in a few seconds. When Troy saw him standing in front of him, he laughed. "Wheeler," he smirked, dribbling the ball between his legs confidently. "How you feeling, frog face?"

Mike squatted down slightly and bent up his knees, readying himself to defend. "You should come up with a new nick-name, Troy. That one's getting stale."

Troy snarled and charged forward. Mike was caught off guard and backed up slightly, but Troy was like a train and he plowed right through him, knocking him down like he was a feather. He watched as he ran up the court and threw the ball in effortlessly, whistling as it swished through the net.

"Maybe I should just call you shit," Troy taunted. "'Cause that's what it looks like you are."

Mike bit his tongue. As much as he would have loved to retort, it was hard to because he knew he was right. And the whole class knew, as well. He shook himself off and got up, ignoring the faces he was getting from his teammates.

The rest of the period was spent more or less the same way, with Troy repeatedly tripping and shoving Mike and calling him names, which the teacher did little to stop. The only moment he actually could enjoy the sound of Troy _not _talking when he stepped into the change room at the end of class. But it was brief, unfortunately.

"Good game, Wheeler," Troy spat, slamming the door on his way in. It almost slammed on the next kid's hand, but he didn't say anything. Mike grit his teeth and didn't say anything. "I think it's been your best since we started."

Troy and his friends snickered. The voice in Mike's mind repeated themselves: _stand up to him. _"Do you actually know how to pass the ball? Like, you must have fucked up those passes fifty times-"

"SHUT UP!" Mike erupted for the second time that day. "Jesus Christ, Troy, do you ever stop talking?" he roared, striding toward him.

Troy closed the gap between them in a flash and fisted Mike's collar, backing him up against the locker and pressing him hard against it. Troy was strong, and Mike tried to push back, but it was pointless. "I don't like the disrespect, Wheeler," he snarled, blowing his hot breath into Mike's face.

Out of nowhere, Mike felt a blow to his stomach that felt like a truck colliding just under his ribs, and he choked and bent forward. "You still wanna insult me, shithead?" He grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled his torso up before delivering a debilitating knee to the stomach again, all while Mike was still wheezing from the first contact.

Troy leaned close to Mike, his mouth a few inches from his ear. "You haven't seen shit yet, Wheeler," he whispered threateningly, and jabbed him in the ribs with his left fist. Mike coughed and fell forward, clutching his side in pain.

He heard some more indistinct voices in the changeroom as he got up. He did his best to tune them out. All he wanted was to get out. Troy and his buddies finally left the changeroom, leaving just Mike and the rest of the kids who had been watching from the side the whole time. He looked directed his head downward and gazed around the room discreetly at all the kids, wondering why not a single one of them stepped in. Troy was loved by the athletic kids, but there were still a lot of kids that were more like himself that definitely didn't like him. So why did they not step in?

Ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach that he'd been having ever since he got punched, Mike walked out of the change room, still hunched slightly forward. Rather than going out the front door, he took a different route and exited out of one of the side exits. He was doing his best to avoid any confrontation with his friends, seeing as how their lunch had gone.

Could things be any worse?

**That's it for today, guys! hope you enjoyed the update, I'll probably have the next one out in a week or two. Stay posted! **


	40. Chapter 40

**Hello, everyone! Long time, no see, haha. It's been such a long time since I've updated this fic and I wanted to just apologize. Life's been really busy lately, and I had a bit of of a dip in my inspiration levels. I got into some legal trouble in the beginning of June that I had to sort out, which was no small task. But everything's been dealt with now, so I'm in a much better place to start writing again. This chapter is a little bit short, but I wanted to give you guys something. It'll give you a little bit of an idea of what is to come in the coming chapters, at least in Hawkins. Enjoy, guys :)**

**Jbg: Thank you! Yes, I knew from the beginning of this fic that El and the Byers' leaving would put strain on the Party in certain ways; people would be upset, act out, maybe drift apart a little bit. Of course we know that Troy would jump at the chance to torment Mike at this point. And I thank you again for your input on ASD, the next chapter featuring Spencer will probably be soon.**

**Ks: My thoughts exactly, haha**

**Shrike176: The strain on the Party caused by the move has been evident, yes. Dustin may be facing some challenges that the rest of the group don't know about yet. I think I agree with you about El and Mike, too; seeing them seperated and trying to love each other in spite of it is like watching an uphill battle :( Thanksgiving is soon, though, haha. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Luna0603: It's definitely a low time for our Party. But in the end, they will pull through, like they always do. I always love writing the phone calls between Mike and Eleven, it's a great way to show that their love extends past just the physical side of things that they have been exploring recently. hope you like this chapter!**

Will sat quietly at the dining table, idly poking his food. He stared at his plate of mashed potatoes, green beans, and chicken breast. It wasn't that the food wasn't good or anything. His mom was, at times, a… questionable cook. He nearly chuckled out loud when he remembered the Christmas dinner right after he had been trapped in the Upside Down when the mashed potatoes they had eaten had been runny.

Thankfully, she had improved since then.

It was just that there was a lot on his mind, that was all. He put a piece of meat and a hunk of potato onto his fork and put it into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. The words of those kids echoed in his mind. "_He's fucking autistic._"

Based on the conversation that he had shared with him in the cafeteria, Spencer was a little bit awkward. The kind of robotic tone in his voice, but when he got excited, boy, did he get excited. The way he got all amped up when he started talking about things in Hawkins was kind of comical, in fact.

But it was a little scary, too. He wasn't entirely comfortable knowing that the going-ons of his former town was practically common knowledge in a town five hours away. But what could have been expected? Their mayor had been arrested, the mall had caught fire, a bunch of people had died… of course, people knew about it. There was no reason to stress about it. No one was digging.

He shook his head to himself. His thoughts were running away from him, like they usually did. What had he even been thinking about to start with? Oh, right. Those kids that had been talking to him during lunch. They had told him that Spencer was autistic.

So what? He was different. If anything, that made them have even more in common. Will had gone his entire life being a kid that was "different." In fact, all of his friends had. They had been dubbed by awkward losers by everyone in their middle school years. Only after they had moved into high school had it subsided.

Will was glad that he had found someone that he could possibly connect with, despite what the other students had said. But if he hung out with him, would that put a target on him to the other kids? The cold thought filled his mind. That would not be a good situation. Perhaps it was worth it, though. There was no way he would be able to get through high school alone. And he had always dealt with bullies; a shove here, maybe some teasing… but years of that prior had built his tolerance sky high. He would be willing to pay the price it meant having someone who he could actually hang out with and be himself around.

It was probably best for him to hang out with him some more and get a feeling for what this kid was like. If things went well, then good. If not, then he would move on. Will took another bite of food and chewed. That was how life usually went. Go with the flow.

* * *

"How've you been?" Mike asked, leaning up against the door frame as he switched his phone to the other ear. "You started school yesterday, right?"

"Yeah, it was," Will confirmed over the phone. "It actually wasn't that bad. Teachers seem alright, but I'm not sure about the kids yet."

"Why's that?" Mike asked, furrowing his brow.

Will lightly laughed. "I got some mixed experiences during my lunch period yesterday," he said. He explained his meeting with Spencer and the interaction he had shared with the students in the hall afterward, and what they had told him.

"He seems like a good dude, though," Mike commented. "What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing," Will replied confidently. "He was nice to me, I'm not gonna ditch him just 'cause some mouthbreathers told me to."

"Well, yeah, of course," Mike said, not surprised by Will's resolve and desire to choose his own friends. "But what if kids start giving you problems?"

"I'll cross that bridge if I come to it."

Mike nodded, still holding the phone. "Okay, well… good luck, I guess," he smiled. It was a huge relief to know that Will seemed to have found a friend within the first day. He had been really worried about his friend.

"What about you? How are things with Troy? You were telling me last week that he was being a dick more than usual," Will asked, changing the subject.

Mike pursed his lips in thought. His mind drifted to the day before, and within a second it felt like his stomach was sinking. All the shit that had happened between the Party, and then the incident with Troy in the changeroom… he hadn't told El what had happened. He didn't want her to worry, and he didn't want her to know that he had let Troy walk all over him. He was embarrassed by it. How did a guy like him, so afraid to properly stand up to a bully, end up with El, the bravest girl in the world?

Mike decided that for now, it was probably best to leave Will out of the loop with their fight. For all he knew, Dustin had already called Max and had apologized, and everything was okay. There was no point in raising a fuss yet. "Things are all good, I guess. The normal. And don't worry about Troy, that was just… that was just a one-time thing."

Will narrowed his eyes. Lying still wasn't Mike's strong suit. But he was leaving for school soon, and he didn't have time to press the issue. "Hey, Will, when was the last time you talked to Dustin or Lucas?"

"I talked to both of them early last week," he replied. "They said everything was okay, too." It was true. He had called both of his other friends to check in on them. All of them had told him the same thing, that things were going fine, but now he was starting to doubt that.

Mike closed his eyes in silent thanks to up above. He didn't want Will to know everything that was going on right now, it would just bring him more stress. Besides, they would be able to work things out themselves.

* * *

Dustin did not fancy the idea of eating his lunch in the cafeteria with the rest of the Party today. After yesterday, he had been repeatedly kicking himself over what he had done. How could he have said that to Max? It had just kind of come out; his classes were stressing him out, especially science. He had gotten a seventy on his last test, and by his standards, it might as well have been a failing grade. Not to mention that he had been feeling frustrated and angry ever since the move, especially lately after that stupid test. On top of that, lately his conversations with Suzie had been kind of flat, and he was concerned that they were drifting apart. Perhaps a long distance relationship like this _wasn't _possible.

But it all came down to the fact that he just really missed his two friends, and it was hard to get his feelings out. So instead, he had lashed out at poor Max for no reason like a fucking child. Listening to her talking happily about her grade had just ticked him off for whatever reason, and he had been a complete, unadulterated ass toward his friends.

So it didn't come as a surprise to him when he passed by the cafeteria window and looked inside and saw the regular table where they usually sat empty. He let out a sigh. The only thing to do was to track down Max and apologize to her properly. But even if he did that, would it even make a difference? Things had been steadily going downhill steadily between all of them. The truth was, they all needed to have a big talk with one another to figure out how they were going to fix things.

"Hey, toothless," a voice from behind him snarled. Dustin turned on his heel rapidly and looked behind him just in time to see Troy's face right in his. He was shoved backward and manhandled until his back collided roughly with the brick wall of the school. His head smacked painfully on the hard surface and he grunted.

"What the fuck, Troy?" Dustin spat, fighting against his grip on the collar of his shirt. But his fingers were like iron. He stopped struggling when he realized that his two goons were also with him.

"What are you doing out here by yourself, shithead?" Troy sneered. "Where's the rest of the faggot squad?"

"What's it to you?" Dustin snapped, his jaw clenched.

"Nothing," he replied, his voice dropping quieter. He leaned in close, and Dustin could smell cigarettes on his breath. "We just came to give you a message."

Dustin tilted his chin up defiantly, not saying a word. His confident facade crumbled when pain exploded in his nose. "Fuck!" he cried, sagging to the ground. His hands felt warm when he put them up to his face. Crimson liquid was dripping from between his fingers in an instant.

"Dude, what the fuck did you do? You said that-"

"Relax, I didn't hit him hard enough for it to break," Troy cut off the voice of his friend who Dustin couldn't identify through the pain. He heard footsteps getting closer to him. His vision darkened when Troy's shadow fell over him, blocking out the sun in the sky. In a much clearer voice, he muttered quietly, "this is just a start."

From the ground, Dustin heard the footsteps of the group receding away from him. He brought himself to his feet, his head spinning. He blew his nose out and spattered blood all over the grass where he was standing. "Ugh," he grumbled. His nose was tender, but he didn't think it was broken. After a few seconds, his brain was able to focus. He stared across the field and watched Troy and his two friends leave the property.

"Fuck."

* * *

Lucas walked into his third-period class with Max close to behind him. They shared third-period science, and they always tried to stick close to one another so Max didn't get lost in the sea of taller boys that seemed to be everywhere now that they were in high school. On the way in, an arm stuck out and blocked his path into the room. He followed the arm and saw one of his classmates standing in front of him. He looked at his peer, a quizzical in my life.

"What's this?" he asked.

The student laughed. "Read it, man. I'm having a party. I've been handing these in all my classes."

Lucas inspected the orange sheet of paper. It was nothing fancy, just a date, time and address printed across the front with a picture of a black cat below the text. "October thirty-first," Lucas read out loud with Max peering over his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's a Halloween party. You should come, dude, it would be nice to have you there."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Jacob, right? We have first period together."

"Yeah, English," Jacob confirmed. "Listen, man, I dunno if parties are really your scene or anything, but it won't be anything crazy. Just a bunch of freshmen like us in an empty house. It'll be fun."

Lucas looked beside him toward Max, who gave him a sly grin. "Max, you should come, too," Jacob piped up. "It's a big house, don't worry about space," he added with a laugh.

"Alright, we'll think about it," Lucas said, nodding his head and folding the paper neatly

before stuffing it into his pocket. He and Max walked into the classroom and took their usual seats toward the back of the room. They were in math, the same class that they shared with Dustin. Under normal circumstances, they all sat in a row together, but Lucas knew full well that if Dustin got anywhere near Max she would bite his head off (unless it was to apologize).

Even still, both of them almost gasped out loud when Dustin walked into the classroom with blood caked all over his upper lip from his nose, which had turned a shade of purple. He walked in and was about to take a seat at the first available desk when the teacher spoke up. "Um, Dustin?"

Dustin turned to look at him. "Yes, sir?"

The teacher cleared his throat awkwardly. "You've got, some, uh…" he motioned with his

hand toward his nose, and Dustin brought his own hand up and gingerly massaged his upper lip.

"Oh, shit," he cursed. "That must have just got there," he muttered.

"Perhaps you'd like to clean yourself up?" the teacher suggested.

"Yeah…" Dustin trailed off and left the classroom promptly. When he left, Max and Dustin

exchanged concerned glances.

"Did he get in a fight?" Max asked in a hushed tone.

"No, Dustin wouldn't do that," Lucas dismissed her theory. "Maybe he just fell, or

something."

Max scoffed. "Do you really believe that?"

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know, do you think someone did that to him?"

"It's more likely than 'he fell,'" she countered.

He sighed. "Fair point," he agreed. "But who? Troy hasn't been giving any of us problems since school started."

"Maybe he was bored," Max wrinkled her nose as she took her math notebook out of her bag and turned to a blank page. "Either way, we should probably try to figure it out."

Lucas looked at his girlfriend, his look slightly surprised. "I thought you hated Dustin," he inputted.

Max rolled her eyes. "I don't hate him," she said, exasperated. "And even if I did, I still wouldn't want him to be beaten up," she continued. "I just want him to apologize. I'm not that petty, you know."

Lucas nodded, trying to suppress a sly smile, knowing that their relationship had definitely seen their fair share of "petty" break-ups, especially in the earlier stage. Thankfully, Max had moved on from that stage, and had taken the role of a much more committed and mature partner.

"Do you want to talk to him after class?" Lucas suggested.

"You can," Max said resolutely. "Until he comes to me and says sorry for what an ass he was, I'm still not talking to him," she said, and flicked her head to the side to get her hair out of her face, and turned her attention to the blackboard.

Mike was walking down the hall toward his locker at the end of the third period, dreading what gym class would be like today. He was walking through the hall with his eyes glued to the floor, buried in his thoughts and hatred for Troy when out of the corner of his eye he saw a crowd of kids all huddled around a sheet of paper on the wall. All of the students were talking excitedly amongst themselves and were too preoccupied to even notice when the lanky boy approached the crowd.

It was a cluster of grade nines, so it wasn't challenging for Mike to craned his neck up and peer over their heads at the piece of paper that had been taped to the wall they were all so interested in.

"If he's putting it up in the hall, that means anyone can come, right?"

"I can't believe that Jacob is having a party!"

"Is it Halloween themed?"

"It says 'Halloween' on it, dumb-ass!"

"But are there costumes?"

The overlapping voices were flooding Mike's ears like the sea. He knew that all this was about a party before he even read the poster. He recognized the street name as the street that Steve lived on. There were a lot of big houses on that street, with pools and all that. Perfect for a typical high school party. He had never pictured himself as being a person much into the party scene, but then again… maybe it would be fun? With Will and El gone, he had two fewer friends that he wasn't going to be seeing any time soon.

He mentally noted all the information on the sheet and proceeded toward the gym, still pondering the idea of going to a party. Would anyone else from the Party be going? He wasn't sure where he stood with his friends. Ever since that argument had broken out between them and he yelled at all of them to "shut up," they had not really talked.

Mike glanced behind him one more time before he entered the door to the boys' change room, and his eyes widened a little bit when his eyes caught Dustin standing amongst the crowd of kids that were congregated in a clump down the hall. He raised his eyebrow at the thought of a kid like Dustin ever entertaining the idea of going to a big party like that. He just had a feeling. Then again, he did enjoy dressing up, and maybe he was having the same thoughts as he was.

He was caught off guard when Dustin looked to the side and they locked eyes for a brief moment for the first time in twenty-four hours. Out of what looked like embarrassment, Dustin ducked down and disappeared into the crowd of people. Mike furrowed his brow. Perhaps he was still under the impression he was angry. He couldn't have blamed it he did, considering the outburst he had displayed the day before in the cafeteria.

Mike sighed loudly and swung the door open and stepped into the change room along with some other kids from his class. He looked around nervously and relaxed a bit when he didn't see Troy and his goons anywhere. Maybe they were skipping? They did that sometimes, to smoke cigarettes or whatever.

He breathed a sigh of relief and changed into his gym clothes, and ran into the gym with his thoughts still lingering on that upcoming Halloween party.

**Like I said, on the short side, but I hope this gave you guys enough to think about until the next one. I might aim for shorter chapters now just so you guys don't have to wait as long, but I will see. It felt natural to end the chapter here, so that's what I did. As always, leave a review and I'll see you guys in the next one! Take it easy :) **


	41. Chapter 41

**Hello everyone, welcome to chapter 41! Thanks for all the reviews on the last one, I have to admit that I was curious as to what the response would be after so much down time from chapter 39. The support blew me away, and I'm so thankful to have all of you guys as readers. I hope this chapter is enjoyable for all of you!**

**Jbg: Hey, I'm thankful you're glad to have me back, haha! The state of the Party right now is something that I thought was bound to happen in the aftershock of the move, I had this arc in my mind for a while. Thank you for your support on the chapter lengths, it means a lot to know that you're dedicated to this fic that way :) **

**Jane Eleanor Wheeler: Things are a lot better now, thank you! I hope you like the chapter!**

**AK7999: Thanks!**

**grievesforyou: Thank you! He gets on all of our nerves, haha**

**HyperSushi: My apologies, haha. I know that you Mileven fans are anxiously waiting for some content, but things are to come in the future. Thanksgiving is coming, after all! **

**Stranger Records: I assure you, Troy has a doozy coming to him soon :)**

**Luna0603: Things are going good now, thank you! Glad you're liking the way things are going. It's important to me to show how all the characters are coping during this difficult time. Will and Spencer will see more action coming soon. You may be on the right track with the Halloween Party :) Guess we will have to see... Enjoy the chapter!**

**Shrike176: Dustin is definitely going through some stuff right now, yes... things with Troy are most likely going to get worse before they get better. Hope you like the chapter! **

Will laid back on the couch and gazed at the ceiling, sighing as he stretched out his body and brought the ringing phone to his ear. "Hello?"

He heard a light chuckle on the other line. "I'm used to El picking up the phone," Mike laughed.

Will smiled at the thought of his adoptive sister waking up early on a weekend. "Are you kidding me? I thought you've figured it out by now that El doesn't want up early on weekends."

"I guess you're right," Mike agreed. "Was she up late last night?"

"Maybe," he guessed. "Getting a head start on her homework or something, I imagine."

"If she isn't awake soon, wake her up anyway, though. I will want to talk to her."

"If I ever want to get my head bit off, I will do that."

"Is it really that bad?"

"You'll see for yourself when you come over at Thanksgiving," Will joked. "But don't worry, Mom is out. She won't be pestering me to hang up any time soon, so we don't have to rush any conversation."

"Good to hear," Mike said with a grin. "So how are things with you, man?"

Will sighed again thoughtfully. "Going good I guess," he answered. "I've hung out with Spencer my last few lunch periods. He seems like a good guy, but I still find it hard to understand him, sometimes."

Mike furrowed his brow. "How do you mean?"

"I don't know, it's not anything, like, weird about him," Will explained. "It's just… like we're on two different wavelengths, kind of. Do you know what I mean?"

Mike thought of the last time he met someone who had a much different "wavelength" than he did, and that person was Max. "Yeah, I get you."

"Yeah, well, it's kinda like that," Will said. "But he's really nice. We usually talk about comic books or stuff like that. He's a nerd like us."

"Well, that's definitely a good thing," Mike replied with raised eyebrows. Kids like them were less common that one would think. "Does he play Dungeons and Dragons?"

Will squinted his eyes. "Weirdly enough, we haven't talked about it yet."

"You should. Maybe we can play D n' D with him," Mike suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Will nodded his head, but still wondering how that would go. Whatever. There was a lot of time to think about it. "But enough about me. How are things back home?" He suddenly twinged at his choice of words. He had a bad habit of still calling Hawkins "home" even though it hadn't been for a couple of weeks at this point. He thought if he could avoid it, maybe it would help him settle into his new home easier. And yet, in his heart, it still felt like he was an absolute stranger in this new town. Without all of his friends, it still felt like nowhere could be his home.

Will was broken out of his thoughts when Mike clicked his tongue over the line. "Uh, well… you know, the usual, I guess. Everything is fine."

Will sat up straighter on the couch and crossed one of his legs over the other. "That response lacked a lot of confidence, even through the phone."

Mike shrugged. "I don't know, man, things are just… weird. All the time. It feels like things are just growing apart."

"What do you mean?" his friend replied, growing concerned about what was going on back at home with his friends.

"Just, random shit keeps happening. It came to a head a few days ago, though," Mike admitted, the incident in the cafeteria with Max and Dustin flashing through his mind.

"What happened?"

Mike recounted what had happened to Will, trying to spare as little details as possible. After days of hiding the truth from him, Mike decided that enough was enough. Will was as much of a member of the Party as the rest of them. Just because he lived in a different town didn't mean that he was supposed to be excluded from things, and the same went for El. "And it only came to a stop because I flipped my shit and yelled at them to shut up. The whole cafeteria probably heard it."

Mike listened to nothing but light breathing on the other side of the phone for a few brief seconds. He took it as Will processing the information. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, dude?"

Will rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling frustrated and kind of guilty. "Yeah, I'm sorry, dude. I just didn't want you guys having to stress about any of this shit."

"Mike, I've been stressing for the past few days because I knew that you were hiding something but I just couldn't get it out of you. You should have just told me."

"Okay. Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry," Mike apologized, raking his hand through his untamed morning hair. "But anyway, that's about it."

Will lay back down on the couch, his expression pained. It sucked to know that his friends were practically falling apart, and there was nothing he could do about it. "Have you talked to any of the rest of them this week? Dustin or Lucas? Or Max?"

"Nah, not for this entire week. I just thought they were busy with school stuff. I mean, the only reason you call here is to talk to El, not to me," he teased.

"Shut up," Mike laughed. "I call you so I can talk to both of you. It just so happens that my parents allow me to make phone calls like this, and it also so happens that my parents aren't even awake yet to tell me to get off the phone."

"They're not awake yet? Why?"

"They went on some date night last night. Got home super late, they're probably just sleeping in."

Will chuckled. "Well, good to know. For both those things," he quickly added. "But moving back to the issue at hand," he continued, rubbing his chin. "Have you even talked with any of them since it happened?"

"No, I haven't," Mike answered. "No one has sat at our cafeteria table, and I don't even know where the rest of them go. I just chill in the science hall usually, or the library. I do my homework."

"The library seems like the type of place you'd expect to see Dustin," Will thought aloud.

"You'd think," Mike agreed. "But no."

Will exhaled heavily. "Look, I think you should talk to Lucas. He'll probably be able to give you the most unbiased opinion out of all of you. And then you and him go to Dustin, because I think it's pretty clear that he's in the wrong."

"Yeah, but I yelled at them," Mike reminded Will.

"Please, that's nothing," Will said dismissively. "Any normal person would have done the same thing. But talk to Lucas, see what he thinks, ask him what Max is feeling, and then just make a plan. You guys will work it out, I promise."

Mike nodded slowly, agreeing with his friend's opinion. It was the simple and right thing to do. This argument had dragged out long enough. Things had to be patched out, and if Mike had to be the one to do it, then that's what he would do. He suddenly remembered the huge fight him and Lucas had gotten into when Will was missing and they were trying to find him with El. _So this is what Dustin must have felt like when me and Lucas were fighting. _

"Do you want me to try to get El up?" Will asked, sensing their conversation was coming to a close.

Mike contemplated for a moment, "No, it's okay, let her sleep," he said, imaging his beautiful El sleeping soundly in her bed. He didn't want to wake her up. "I think I'm gonna give Lucas a call."

* * *

Max and Lucas were seated at the dining table in Lucas's house, both of them at hard at work on their homework assignments. Max had been grinding out several math worksheets that had built up over the week, and she was no determined to get everything done over the weekend, and as early as possible. Lucas, on the other hand, was occupying himself with a lab report that was due right after the weekend on Monday.

The pencil that Max was writing with was incredibly dull at this point, having been worn down to practically a nub. The only reason why she hadn't sharpened it yet was because-

"Done," she exhaled triumphantly, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands behind her head. "Thank God."

"I thought you said you had a lot to do?" Lucas asked, looking at his watch and seeing that they had only been working for an hour and a half.

"I did," she replied. "I guess I'm just getting better at graphing functions," she chuckled as she closed up her notebook and slid it neatly into her backpack. "How are you doing?"

Lucas sighed and gripped his pencil a little tighter in an effort to write quicker, now knowing that his girlfriend was done and he was not (especially considering the fact that he was counting on having some time to mess around with her later). "Ten minutes or so. Science report is almost done."

Max smirked and walked around the table to come behind him. She leaned down beside him and kissed his neck. "If it's only ten minutes, why don't you do it later?" she whispered in his ear. Lucas felt a chill run down his spine. Max could be so fucking sexy when she wanted to be.

"Well, what do you want to do now instead?" he replied, a smirk crawling across his own face as he leaned back over the headrest, now looking at Max completely upside down. She snorted at him.

"Nothing, if you don't get out of that chair and look at me properly," she laughed.

Lucas smiled. "As you wish," he said flirtatiously, getting out of the chair and closing the gap between them quickly. His lips found her neck in a flash, and suddenly he was kissing and biting and licking along the entire left side of it.

Max was caught off guard, but not unhappy about it. It wasn't often that he was so aggressive, but she liked it when he was. "What do you got planned here, Stalker?" she whispered, her breath hitching as Lucas pulled the collar of her shirt down to grant better access to the top of her breast.

"There's a couch right behind you," he said roughly in between passionate kisses. There was definitely going to be a hickey there later. "Maybe we can make our way there," he suggested, already pushing Max backward toward his destination.

Her calves connected with the front of the couch and she allowed Lucas to move her body onto the surface of it, lying across the whole length. He was soon on top of her, completely pinning her on the sofa. He grinded against her, and even through all the layers of clothing that they were wearing, Max felt the friction right in between her legs and she let out a breathy groan. She moved her hands underneath his shirt and raked her nails across his bare back, eliciting a firm grind that made her moan out loud.

They had not had sex yet, but they had grown very accustomed to foreplay. Oral sex was a regular thing, and both of them were very confident in themselves. There were times when Max wanted to take the next and final step; Lucas had always wanted to take that step (being a boy and all), but in general, she still felt it wise to wait until they were maybe fifteen.

Not long after they had fallen on the couch, Max was working to get Lucas's shirt off, yanking it up his torso. Once the fabric was rolled up under his armpits, he sat up straight and removed the article himself, leaning back down to return the favour to the beautiful redhead below him. Her shirt was gone quickly, and then she was awkwardly unhooking her bra. Lucas laughed when she bent her arms around behind her back, still lying down.

"Shut up," Max blushed.

"I didn't say anything," Lucas snickered, and then leaned back down to press his lips

onto hers. Their lips were moving together again, perfectly in sync with one another. His fingers wandered South and he started to undo the button on her jeans (which her ass had looked _great _in), and she did the same. The clothes were unceremoniously dropped on the floor, leaving the pair of teens on the couch in nothing but their undergarments.

There were few seconds spared as Lucas yanked Max's panties down vigorously, leaving her completely naked from the waist down in front of him. He parted her thighs gently and adjusted her body so that she was lying diagonally across the surface of the couch, her legs closer to the edge then the rest of her body. He then knelt down on the carpeted floor and buried his face in between her thighs, already lost in the feeling of being so intimate with her.

"Oh, God," Max whispered and dug her fingernails into his scalp. He brushed his tongue all the way over her slit, from bottom to top, and she let out a deep moan. They only grew louder as he picked up his intensity, becoming more vigorous with the motions of his tongue and lips.

"Lucas, keep going," she keened, moving her hips upward to meet his face. She nearly lost it when she felt two of his fingers enter her suddenly. "Ah!" she squealed in shock, but the surprise was not unwelcome. His digits pumped in and out of her mercilessly, and with each passing second she felt herself getting closer to the edge. Her breathing became shallow and she reached up and rolled one of her nipples between her fingers, which provided the final push for her.

"Lucas, I'm coming," she nearly shouted. Lucas did not slow the punishing rhythm he had set, and he felt his girlfriend clenching around his fingers and her thighs squeezing his head as she rode out the intense orgasm he had given her.

Once Max had calmed down and her breath had slowed down, Lucas crawled back up onto his hands and knees and pressed a kiss onto her lips. "It's nice that we can still do stuff like this," he stated softly, staring into her eyes.

Max propped herself onto her elbows to look at him better. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we be able to?"

Lucas sighed, and then turned his gaze toward the window. "All this stuff that's been going on with the Party. I'm just… glad it hasn't affected us, you know?"

She nodded slowly, understanding what her man was saying. "Have you even talked to Mike or Dustin recently?"

No," Lucas shook his head softly. "Haven't really gotten the chance to, I guess. Or maybe I'm just too scared."

"Scared of what?"

He turned his eyes from out the window back to the girl lying on the couch beside him. "What they'd say if I did. Mike lost his shit, Dustin lost his shit… I mean, did you see him earlier? His face was a mess!" he exclaimed.

"Which is why I'm saying that we need to talk to them, Lucas. Let's talk to Mike, or something."

"Mike? Since when do you ever want to talk to _Mike_?" he asked, stupefied.

Max creased her brow. "Would you rather talk to Dustin about things?"

Lucas shrugged. "I don't really want to talk to anyone about anything, to be honest," he muttered, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"Hey, wait," Max sat up quickly. "Where are you going? I haven't even done you yet," she protested.

"Getting some food. And don't worry, I'm not really in the mood," he answered. When Max looked at him as if he had two heads, he laughed. "What? Sometimes I'm not in the mood. Boys aren't _always _horny, you know."

She laughed. "I doubt that," she teased. "But stop dodging the question. Why don't you wanna go talk to Mike?"

"Look, he's the one who snapped at us, okay?" he answered. "I'm not the one who yelled at him. He should come to us when he wants to talk, not the other way around," he explained.

"It's been long enough. Mike has, like, zero self-confidence. He's probably waiting for his best friend to come first!"

Lucas rubbed his face in exasperation. Maybe his girlfriend was right. They had spent too much time running in circles. This was the goddam Party, enough was enough. It was far past the time for them to make amends and get back together. And hopefully in time for that Halloween party, because, if he was being honest, he really wanted to go, and so did Max.

"Okay, maybe we can give him a call then, see if we can see where he stands with things."

As if on cue, the Sinclair household phone rang loudly. Both of them jumped. "Jeez, that scared me," Max said, placing an arm on her chest.

"I got it," Lucas said, already walking toward the ringing device. Max watched him pick

up the phone, and then exchange a few words with the person on the other line before hanging up.

"Who was it?" she asked.

He looked at her, an incredulous look in his face. "Funny timing," he chuckled. "It was Mike. He wants to meet up."

* * *

Mike stepped into the Sinclar household and looked around. He was met with the familiar scent of the house; air freshener and cinnamon. He always thought the house was one of the nicest he had ever been in. Mrs. Sinclair did a good job of keeping it neat and tidy. "How've you been?" Lucas asked, yanking him out of his thoughts.

Mike rubbed his thighs with the palms of his hands, which were unusually sweaty at the present moment. "Um… been better," he answered honestly.

Lucas returned his response with a sympathetic and understanding half-hearted smile. "I get that," he answered. "Uh, Max is here, do you mind?"

His friend shook his head. "Nope," he replied. "I was actually kind of hoping that she would be, so I could talk to both of you guys."

Lucas nodded slowly, and then led his friend to the living room where Max was seated, waiting patiently. "Hi, Mike," she greeted once she saw them.

"Hey, Max," he returned, and then found himself a place on the armchair in front of him to sit. He breathed out slowly, and once Lucas sat beside Max he opened his mouth to speak. "So, uh… look, guys, I'm sorry about all the shit that's been going on. I wanted to talk to you earlier, but I just never really got around to it, I guess."

Lucas scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, us too. We didn't know if you even wanted to talk to us, actually."

"Which brings me to my reason for coming-"

"We were actually about to reach out to you, but you beat us to it," Max interjected. "And I was also the one who's been telling Lucas to talk to you for days."

"Okay, okay, okay," Lucas shushed his girlfriend, and then looked back to his friend so that he could finish his sentence.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you guys that day," Mike finally said. "It was uncalled for and way over the top, and… I'm sorry."

Lucas breathed out a sigh of relief. He was glad that it looked like this was going to be a simple solution to the ongoing awkwardness between them. After days of avoiding each other and dodging each other in the halls, it seemed that things were finally going to return to normal again. But he had to get some things off his chest, too, first.

"Don't take all the blame, Mike," Lucas said. "We were all out of line-"

"I'm sorry, I just want to clear the record with that statement," Max interrupted again. "I don't think I was out of line, Dustin was acting like a dickhead."

"Max, we were all out of line, _all _of us," Lucas repeated, enunciating his words. "We all have to take a little bit of responsibility. We were the ones who escalated the situation."

Max mumbled something under her breath and crossed her arms, but remained quiet. "I'm sorry, Mike," Lucas said sincerely. He then looked expectantly at Max, who rolled her eyes belligerently.

"I'm sorry, too," she said quietly.

Mike smiled. "Aren't we forgetting something, though?" he questioned, giving Lucas a knowing look. As if a switch clicked in his mind, he suddenly chuckled to himself.

"We gotta shake on it," he reminded everyone.

And they shook.

**And that's it... a little bit on the shorter side, but as I said in the last chapter, I'll probably be sticking with this length from now on, just so you guys don't have to wait so long for updates. Take it easy :) **


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